Nuclear Energy Discourse in Turkish Media

Özet

Öz Nuclear power plants, viewed as alternative energy resources in energy production, have become a hot topic especially after the disaster having taken place in Chernobyl and Fukushima. Turkey focuses on nuclear power plant construction, trying to decrease her energy dependency on other countries. The discourse about nuclear energy co-exists with the different social actors and their practices as the stakeholders, like governments, opposition parties, industry partners, NGOs, and the locals. In this study, the reactions about Turkey’s first proposed nuclear power plant to be constructed in Akkuyu are dealt with from the context of news discourse. The developments as to the construction of the plant will be analyzed from an integrated perspective called political economy. To that end, the developments experienced between 2010 and 2017 were analyzed from the perspective of five politically differing newspapers, which are Birgün, Cumhuriyet, Hürriyet, Sabah and Yeni Şafak. Those closely affiliated with the government write in favor of nuclear energy policies whereas the ones in opposition give room to the opposing news and events.