Development of the “New Turkey” Media Image: Substantive Aspect

Modern Turkey is actively developing the world-power image, and it has been striving for a little over ten years to get that status. The authors identify and do research in the article on the crucial media technologies in the process of constructing and promoting the image of the Republic of Turkey under the guidance of R.T. Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party. The source base for the study is the publications on the official YouTube channels of the Communications Department of the Presidential Administration of Turkey and the Justice and Development Party, of the state news agency “Anadolu”, as well as the speeches by R.T. Erdogan at the sessions of the UN General Assembly. The methodology of the study is represented by semiotic approach, monitoring, discourse analysis, qualitative and quantitative content analysis and case study. The conducted study has made it possible to conclude that the Turkish world-power status is directly related to the president’s personality of R.T. Erdogan, who plays an essential part in promoting the new image of strong Turkey. The Turkish media represent the Turkish president as a supporter of a fair world order, as well as a leader and defender of the Muslim world. The content of the studied information resources is professionally verified and consists of many symbols that latently transmit certain ideological attitudes. Turkey is positioned as a state that has a significant influence on the world and regional politics throughout various historical eras. The particular attention of the Turkish media scene is given to demonstrating the continuity of the imperial and republican period. At the same time the Ottoman discourse not only re-establishes historical continuity with the modern period, but also creates the image of new great Turkey that evokes a sense of national pride, both among its citizens and in the international media space.

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