1,130 News Articles Perpetuate Prejudice Towards LGBTI+ Individuals in 2018

* 2018 Media Monitoring Report

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Kaos GL Association has released its Media Monitoring Report on how LGBTI+s were covered in the media in 2018. Unlike previous years, this year's report has also documented news websites and social media.

The Ankara-based LGBTI+ association has been monitoring the representation of LGBTI+ individuals in the media of Turkey for the last 10 years. The 2018 report of the association has been jointly prepared by Ali Erol, Ali Özbaş, Aslı Alpar, Gözde Demirbilek and Yıldız Tar.

In preparing the report, the researchers analyzed 2,442 texts. While 56 percent (1,366 texts) of the news were published on national media, the remaining 44 percent (1,076 texts) were published on local media.

Ways of struggle against violations in 93 news

In 164 of the news reports and articles analyzed as part of the report, the LGBTI+ individuals were not the main subject of the news, they were only mentioned by their names. When these texts were excluded from the count, it was concluded that LGBTI+s were covered in 2,278 news reports, articles, columns and interviews in total throughout 2018.

Here are some of the highlights from the report:

* The findings shared in the report have shown that almost half (1,148 texts) of the news, interviews and columns about LGBTI+s published on the media adhered to the principles of rights journalism.

* In the remaining 1,130 texts, the basic rights of LGBTI+s were violated, they were subjected to hate speech and discriminatory language or the news in question had content perpetuating prejudices towards LGBTI+s.

* In the majority of the 1,148 news reports, articles and interviews considered within the scope of rights journalism (671 texts, 58 percent), a journalism respecting the fundamental human rights of LGBTI+ individuals was done.

* When the news analyzed for the report are collectively considered, only 16 percent of them rendered the discrimination, hate crimes and rights violations faced by LGBTI+s visible by observing the principles of a rights-based journalism. In only 93 of the news, the ways to struggle against discrimination and rights violations were reported.

LGBTI+ people/associations targeted in 123 texts

* In 2018, 782 news represented LGBTI+s in a discriminatory language, which accounts for 34 percent of all content on LGBTI+s. In 16 percent or 383 of these texts, a hate speech was identified.

* LGBTI+ individuals, associations or institutions were targeted in 123 news articles, thereby committing a hate crime.

* In 603 texts (26 percent of all news about LGBTI+s), being a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersexual was represented as a "crime".

* In 99 percent (1,121) of the news which are not considered within the scope of rights journalism, prejudice towards LGBTI+s was detected. Misinformation and stereotypes about LGBTI+ individuals were also among the subheadings of prejudice.

* Throughout 2018, 783 texts published on media (35 percent) spread misinformation about LGBTI+s. In 37 percent of all news (852 texts), LGBTI+ individuals were confined in stereotypes.

Yeni Akit spread systematic hate; BirGün and Evrensel led in rights journalism

* The newspapers which reported the most on LGBTI+s were as follows: Cumhuriyet (159), Hürriyet (148), Yeni Akit (111), BirGün (110), Evrensel (100), Milliyet (83), Habertürk (71), Posta (67), Vatan (41), Şok (34).

* In 2018, Yeni Akit daily newspaper published a total of 111 news articles, interviews or columns containing rights violations and/or prejudice towards LGBTI+ individuals. In all of the content published by the newspaper about the issue, a violation of right was detected. In all of the news, a discriminating language based on sexual orientation and gender identity was used. 97 of its news articles contained hate speech.

* The report has also shown that two national daily newspapers, namely BirGün and Evrensel, have a leading position in terms of rights journalism towards the LGBTI+ individuals. (EMK/SD)