Representation of the #MeToo Movement in national newspapers in Türkiye: The example of Hasan Ali Toptaş and İbrahim Çolak

This thesis aims to reveal how the discourse of the "SenDeAnlat" movement was constructed on the websites of national newspapers in Turkey. The study also examines whether there is any counter-discourse to "SenDeAnlat" and how it is constructed. The cases of two authors, Hasan Ali Toptaş and İbrahim Çolak, who were accused of harassment, were selected for the study. Hasan Ali Toptaş ise known as a postmodern writer, while İbrahim Çolak is known for his conservative identity. The study inverstigates how these two authors, representing different ideological backgrounds, were portrayed in newspapers within the same context. In this framework, newspapers' constructions of meaning were analyzed comparatively. The newspapers selected fort he study are Birgün, Evrensel, Milliyet, Posta, Türkiye and Yeni Şafak. The selection was based on their differing ownership structures and editorial policies. All news articles published in these newspapers about the aforementioned aouthors were reviewed; the news texts, photographs and visiuals were analyzed using critical discourse analysis and semiotic analysis methods. The findings show that, in the news about Hasan Ali Toptaş, the newspapers constructed a narrative that formed a contextual connection with the #MeToo / #SenDeAnlat movement. In contrast, in the coverage of İbrahim Çolak, the emphasis was placed in his suicide, with less focus on the harassment allegations. Thus, the newspapers did not establish a strong contextual link with the #MeToo / #SenDeAnlat movement in İbrahim Çolak's case.