Representation of disability on online news

The subject of this thesis is to examine how the disability representation in online journalism has changed over the past decade by comparing the news language of mainstream media and critical media. The news texts collected according to the samples determined within the scope of the research were analyzed by the critical discourse analysis method of Teun A. van Dijk. Through analyzed news texts, disability representations are created to interpret which main social discourses and ideologies are justified within the framework of a social and rights-oriented view of disability. As the research results demonstrate, although it is possible to see that mainstream media has attempted to improve its news language, the general examination of news still exhibits the ableist approaches through sometimes referring disability by mercy, pity or other negativites or within the exaggeration of the success to heroize disabled people. In the vast majority of disability-themed news, it is revealed that visibility of disabled people is not provided by including them or disabled movement instead of people in power. At this point, mainstream media reproduces dominant social discourses and ideologies. On the other hand, although critical media have similarities with the mainstream in some points due to professional practices, it is seen that the language of their news about disability is right-oriented and shows opposition to the mainstream's dominant discourse. In addition, while disabled people are reflected as active subjects with rights, the problems described in the news are socialized and suggestions are made for accessibility, inclusiveness and rights-based discourses. Keywords: Media, online news, disability, representation, discourse