Disaster Journalism Through a Political Economy Framework: An Analysis of the Turkish Press Coverage of the 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes

Abstract

On February 6, 2023, devastating earthquakes of magnitude 7.8 and 7.6 struck the Kahramanmaraş region of southeastern Türkiye, affecting eleven Turkish provinces, killing more than 50,000 people, and collapsing or severely damaging approximately 300,000 structures. This study examines the coverage of the Kahramanmaraş earthquake in the Turkish press through a content analysis of news articles published in the 10 days following the earthquake. The aim of the study is to investigate the presence and manifestations of political bias in the news based on political economy theory. For this purpose, two newspapers representing opposing views, Sabah and Cumhuriyet, were selected. As a result, it was observed that both newspapers devoted a remarkably limited amount of their coverage to scientific data and needs. However, it was observed that there were significant differences between the two newspapers in terms of topics, photo preferences, news actors, accused persons, and representation of aid donors. In addition, economic and political biases were found in the media's portrayal of earthquakes. Cumhuriyet focused more on the negative, while Sabah focused more on the positive, emphasizing relief efforts that served to foster a sense of solidarity and shift the narrative away from negativity. In addition, the study observed an excessive focus on soccer players, showing that newspapers may prioritize such coverage to optimize profitability, suggesting a potential commercial agenda underlying news content decisions.