An assessment of the image of disability on the national press in terms of social model

The aim of this study is assessing the image of disability in national press in terms of social model. This study has been implemented in a quantitative method. In the study, four of the newspapers in our country have been selected with exemplification method and scanned for the news about the disabled between the years 2005-2010. The data which were collected in the scope of document examination were resolved with content analysis.By analyzing the content, 11 main themes and 42 sub-themes were put forward. Accounts of percentage and frequency of the news that were distributed to the themes were studied as well.When the distribution of the 1420 pieces of news about the disabled to the years is considered, the news flow is the most in Sabah Newspaper, and the least in Cumhuriyet newspaper.When the distribution and the density of the news to the themes are considered, we can talk about a viewpoint that is far from a model concept to disability. When the interactivity between the society and the press is considered, and the notion that the press is the mirror to the society is considered, we can say that the way the press handles the disability issues bear in itself the clues of the image of this subject within the society.Key Words: Disability, Social Model, National Press, Content Analysis