Constiution referendums and press in Turkey: Comperative analysis of 1961, 1982 Constitutions and 2010 Constitutional Amendment Package referendums as presented in Turkish press (examples of cumhuriyet, hurriyet, tercuman/bugun newpapers)

In this study, 1961 and 1982 Constitution Referendums and Constitutional Amendment Package Referendums are comparatively analyzed via the examples of Cumhuriyet, Hürriyet and Tercüman/Bugün newspapers. While examining these newspapers' approaches to the referendums of 1961, 1982 and 2010, the social background and political economy of their time were taken into consideration. In addition, presentation of the referendums in the mentioned newspapers was analyzed by analyzing the contents of 1961 and 1982 Constitutions and 2010 Constitutional Amendment Package Referendums. The historical moments of these referendums were questioned in the context of economic, political and social transformations Turkey has witnessed in history. The effects of transformation in Turkey's economic, political and social structures on referendum times and the constitutions prepared for referendum and amendment package were discussed. In this context, analyzing the political economy and social background of referendum times, evaluating the content of 1961 and 1982 constitutions and 2010 constitutional amendment package and revealing the approaches of Turkish press to these referendums specific to the selected newspapers, form this study's framework. Therefore, the problem of this study is to comparatively analyzing the approaches of Turkish press to aforementioned referendums specific to the selected newspapers i.e. Cumhuriyet, Hürriyet and Tercüman/Bugün. To analyze this problematized issue, both quantitative and qualitative methods are used. Therefore, the analysis chapter of this study is formed from two sections: quantitative and qualitative. In quantitative analysis section; content analysis method is partially used in all pages of each newspaper to identify the numerical distribution of the news, photographs, interviews and article series about referendums. In qualitative analysis section, text analysis of the selected column writings and both headline and subhead news about referendums in the aforementioned newspapers were done. As a result, an organic relation between aforementioned newspapers' approaches to referendums and Turkey's economic, political and social conditions, which differs according to Turkey's transforming economic, political and social structures during referendum times in historical process, was explored. In other words, it is found that the contents of the newspapers are rather affected by the dominant conditions specific to the times of referendums. Keywords: Referendums (1961, 1982 and 2010), press, social welfare state, neo-liberal policies, global capitalism.