The role of reporters in corporate media: An inquiry into the labour process of reporters in Turkey

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Tezin Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi, Siyaset Bilimi ve Kamu Yönetimi Bölümü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2014

Öğrenci: ADEM YEŞİLYURT

Danışman: BARIŞ ÇAKMUR

Özet:

From a critical political economy approach, this study is an attempt to investigate the labour process of reporters working in corporate media outlets in Turkey as the main agents of the news production processes. Based upon a field research consisting interviews conducted among journalists in Ankara and Istanbul, this thesis examines the transformation of the labour processes of reporters with the ever-increasing commercialisation from press to media and the introduction of new technologies. With the ever-increasing commercialisation because of the concentration of ownership and conglomeration processes, autonomy problem has emerged with the changing control and division of labour in the news production. Development of information and communication technologies has significantly changed the organisation of the newsroom and the practices of news production. As a result, the fundamental argument of this study is that there has been a degradation of reporting work and a tendency for deskilling of reporters‘ labour. In this context, labour market issues for reporters, especially flexible and precarious employment policies have a significant place to understand the organisation and functioning of their labour process as well. .