Gezi Park Protests as a Litmus Test for Mainstream Western Media

Abstract:

This article focuses on the coverage of Gezi Park protests in the mainstream western media. It analyses the details of the incidents and argues that the Gezi Park protests became a negative turning point in the already worsening quality of foreign media coverage of Turkey and AK Party. It argues that the basic codes of media ethics have been frequently violated, while Erdoğan-phobia became an almost unquestionable rule for the mainstream western media in the post-Gezi era.