RESEARCH TURKEY: Monopolized Ownership, Fragile Trust, and Audience Disengagement

The second phase of the Future of the Media research engaged focus groups with citizens in Istanbul and Mardin, and media workers and citizens with high cultural and social capital and influence. Using the analysis of the focus groups, this study explored perceptions of the media’s democratic role, challenges facing journalism, and expectations for the future of the media in Turkey.

Overall, participants’ visions of the future of the media oscillated between cautious hope and a kind of deep pessimism: while some underlined the need for new spaces, inclusive narratives, and solidarity-based resistance, others stressed structural change, warning that without confronting monopolization and political capture, journalism will remain a struggle for survival. Despite differing perspectives, there was also a shared call to reimagine the media as both an educational space and a strategic field of democratic struggle.

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The regional program “Our Media: A civil society action to generate media literacy and activism, counter polarisation and promote dialogue” is implemented with the financial support of the European Union by partner organizations SEENPM, Albanian Media Institute, Mediacentar Sarajevo, Press Council of Kosovo, Montenegrin Media Institute, Macedonian Institute for Media, Novi Sad School of Journalism, Peace Institute and Bianet.

This article was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of SEENPM and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.