Examination Of The Relationship Between Turkey’s Ruling“Justice And Development Party (AK Party Or AKP)” And The Mass Media In Turkey(2002-2016)

From the beginning of the media, state rulers have always been taking media as the tool in order to maintain its power and to control the society or to reach their goal. Meanwhile, media was thought as one of the most important factor for democracy. Thus, freedom of expression and free media has been supported by the countries which want to get advanced democracy for their people.During the ruling of Justice and Development Party(AK Party or AKP), Turkey, as a developing country and eager to join European Union(EU) has made some important democratic reforms including media in its earlier period of ruling starting from 2002. AK Party has made great achievements in the field of social, health and economy in Turkey that everyone could not refuse. However, its every field has dramatic policy errors in recent years; the most obvious is the freedom of expression and free media that this trend is becoming more and more intensified. As a result, AK Party has been severely criticized for what it has done by people who advocate advanced democracy both in Turkey and abroad.Government has intensified its oppression against opposition voices started from the year of 2013 that Gezi Park’s protest and December 17th-25 th corruptions investigations occurred. Then Premier Erdogan claimed that those actions as a coup against him and his government and he accused Turkish biggest and world famous Hizmet movement were behind it. Then, Mr. Erdogan and AK Party have begun to take harsh action against Hizmet movement and other critical voices. Government actions against critical media considered as a “coup against free media”. Turkey and the international society are focusing the changes of the relationship between Turkish government and media especially after 2013. Under the framework of “Social Responsibility Theory in Mass Media”, this thesis is trying to expose why and how AK Party silenced critical voices, conflict between Hizmet movement and AK Party and situation of freedom of press in Turkey. At the same time, this study illustrate how private mass media have become a propaganda tool of ruling party after the ownership were changed by government hand to pro government businessman; how mass media have been silenced by state apparatus through appointing trusteeship and also how Turkish mass media bosses, who have non media business at the same time, have given concession in order to protect their non media interests. So, it will be a very meaningful research for us to understand the relationship between AK Party and Turkish mass media from 2002 to 2016.