Sexism in the media and women-oriented journalism: A comparison of mainstream and alternative media sources in terms of their approach to gender

In our current day and age the media has become a mechanism that fundamentally impacts all kinds of dynamics in Turkey as well as in the world at large. Especially taking into account the considerable space occupied by women and the feminist struggle in the media in Turkey today, the media's attitude towards these issues and the way in which they are conveyed to the public play a significant role in the formation of public perception and opinion. In addition to this, the language and style employed by the media come forward as an important topic of research due to the delicacy of the issues at hand. As a mechanism that exists in all spheres of social life, the media occupies a strategic position in the development of the value judgements of individuals as well as societies. In this respect it is highly important in rendering the gender struggle visible, and the manner of representation of the identities that are the subjects of these issues is vital in terms of determining what societal reflexes will be given as well as which form these shall take.This is the case because the way in which the women's struggle is covered by the media, specifically the language and style employed in conveying this kind of material and its context is the greatest determinant of whether individuals will come to support this cause or, in other words, of the distance with which they shall approach it. It is for this reason that the way in which the language and style used by the media is shaped is a matter that requires careful and thorough research. This study shall analyse the language and approach adopted by the media with respect to the issues mentioned above, focusing on its positive and negative aspects, and discuss the development of a feminist media and a women-oriented approach to journalism in tandem with the women's struggle in its own specific circumstances, as well as stages in theevolution of Gazete Şujin, which is animportantexampleamong alternative media sourcesin terms of creating an alternative media and of women-oriented journalism within its own areas. 'Style' has, as a general concept, been handled in relation to the individuality, originality and aesthetic use of language within the scope of literature. Differences in style take place between oral expressions, in other words spoken language, and writing. These differences and variations are rooted in disparities ofage, gender, class, rank and status, and ethnicity. In certain speech acts that take place in specific contexts the speaker must use a more formal and rule-bound style than they do in their everyday dialogues with friends or family members. In a similar manner, written language also usually implies the use of a more formal style than that of spoken language. The style used in a news article may provide insight into the socio-political or ideological viewpoint of the reporter or journalist who has prepared the said piece. In the same vein, the choice between the term 'terrorist' or 'freedom-fighter' in defining a specific person is not a semantic issue but rather a statement of the personal perspective and ideological position of the journalist or newspaper responsible for the news piece.The notion of rhetoric is about how we express an issue. The utilization of rhetorical internal arrangements of news pieces is based on the target goals and desired impacts of communication. Van Dijk's argues that on the ideological level news pieces wish to bring to pass the internalization of the hegemonic forms of thought and beliefto which the societal elites are subject. In news pieces the goal is to put forward postulations, proofs, reasonings, expert opinions, witness reports, data, quotes, etc. that shall be accepted by readers; in other words, they aim to convince their readers. This study comparatively approaches the Sabah Newspaper owned by Turkuvaz Group (Media Turqoise) on the one hand, and Gazete Şûjin, which is an internet news portal established by women journalistson the other. Sabah is a newspaper that positions itself of the centre-right, is neoliberally oriented, and publishes from a perspective close to that of the government in terms of its editorial policy. While the Sabah Newspaper owned by Turkuvaz Group is an example of mainstream media sources in Turkey, the online source Gazete Şûjin exemplifies alternative media. As Gazete Şujin emerges as newspaper with a woman's perspective, the Sabah Newspaper handles women's issues drastically differently from the way in which Gazete Şûjin does due to its ideological position. In order to analyse two different perspectives and make use of two different sources Gazete Şûjin and Sabah have been taken into consideration within the scope of this study. Keywords: Feminist Struggle, Media, The Language and Style Of The Media, Mainstream Media, Sabah Newspaper, Alternative Media, Feminist Media, Women-Oriented Journalism, Gazete Şujin.