Syrian Students in Turkish Media: An Analysis within the Framework of Agenda Setting Theory
Keywords:
Gündem Belirleme Kuramı, Suriyeli Öğrenciler, Medya Analizi, Türkiye’de GöçAbstract
In democratic systems, the media is described as the fourth power after the legislative, executive and judicial branches. With the developments in communication technologies, especially the internet, the role of the media in social and political life has begun to go beyond the fourth power conceptualization and the media has turned into one of the most central elements that determine the perceptions on issues that concern society. Undoubtedly, the stated role of the media can be seen in shaping the perspectives on Syrians who immigrated to Turkey and were given temporary protection status as a result of the civil war that started in 2011. The news headlines that the media highlight and/or ignore regarding Syrians have important effects on the perception of “Syrian” in the society. Discussions about Syrians in Turkey for more than ten years revolve around factors such as integration, language and economy and education. Syrian students are at the center of the discussions. In this context, this study aims to reveal how the “Syrian student” image is presented in the Turkish print media. The determination of the image of Syrian students is based on the analysis of the “Syrian student” themed news published in the Turkish print media between 2018-2022 using the content analysis method. The aforementioned analysis aims to contribute to both decision makers and discussions in the literature on the relationship between education and migration, on the axis of media.