The Anti-Türkiye Discourse in Western Media and the Propaganda of “Life in Türkiye is Unlivable - Save Yourselves and Leave!”
Every text has a context, every discourse carries subjectivity, and every form of communication embodies a strategy and a purpose. When it comes to conventional media - especially media outlets affiliated with states - these strategies and objectives become more concrete, making strategic and discursive analysis all the more essential. While propaganda can be observed in civilian platforms, the fact that state-affiliated media carry this identity more explicitly renders the analysis of their aims and strategies particularly significant. It is undoubtedly noteworthy that major media institutions from several of the most powerful Western countries have come together to produce Turkish-language content through platforms such as DW Türkçe, +90, and BBC News Türkçe, specifically targeting Türkiye. The narratives promoted through these platforms, which portray life in Türkiye as hopeless and desperate, indicate that the issue extends beyond the cultural domain and takes on a distinctly political dimension - especially in the context of foreign policy tensions between Türkiye and the West. This study analyzes the videos published on these platforms through content analysis. The findings, examined through descriptive analysis, will be discussed within a historical and political framework, and the study will also consider the implications of these narratives within the broader context of cultural hegemony debates.
Batı Medyasının Türkiye Karşıtı Söylemi ve “Türkiye’de Yaşanmaz, Gidin Kendinizi Kurtarın!” Propagandası
Her metnin bir bağlamı, her söylemin bir öznelliği, her iletişim biçiminin de bir stratejisi ve amacı bulunmaktadır. Bu amaç ve strateji, söylemin bağlamı ve içeriği söz konusu konvansiyonel medya ve bilhassa da devletlerin medya organları olduğu zaman hem daha somutlaşmakta hem de stratejik ve söylemsel analizi daha da önem kazanmaktadır. Propaganda sivil mecralarda görülebilirken, devlet medya organlarının yayınları bu kimliği daha belirgin taşıdığından propagandanın amacı ile stratejisinin analizi ayrı bir önem kazanır. Batı’nın birçok bakımdan en güçlü devletlerinin medya kurumlarının bir araya gelip Türkiye’ye dönük ve Türkçe yayın yapan DW Türkçe, +90 ve BBC News Türkçe kanallarını oluşturmaları kuşkusuz dikkate değerdir. Bu mecralarda Türkiye’de yaşamı umutsuz ve çaresiz gösteren anlatılar, Batı ile yaşanan dış politika gerilimleri bağlamında, meselenin yalnızca kültürel değil siyasi bir boyut taşıdığını göstermektedir. Bu çalışmada bahsi geçen mecralarda yapılan söz konusu videolar, içerik analizi tekniğiyle tartışılacaktır. Betimsel analizle mercek altına alınan bulgular tarihsel, politik bir bağlamda ele alınarak tartışılacak; konunun kültürel hegemonya tartışmalarına dair boyutu kapsam dâhiline alınacaktır.
Türkiye’s modernization experience has been predominantly shaped by the assumption that cultural Westernization is the primary path to progress. Elements within the cultural domain - including daily life practices, literature, music, and visual arts - illustrate that modernization has been closely associated with adopting Western norms. However, this alignment is not unidirectional; rather, it operates through a dynamic, reciprocal structure. On one side, the West asserts its cultural hegemony as an aspirational ideal, while on the other, local Westernist cultural elites internalize and propagate this ideal, thereby producing consent. This dual mechanism sustains a global hierarchy wherein the West occupies a superior position, relegating non-Western societies - including Türkiye - to subordinate roles, often reinforced through anti-Türkiye rhetoric.
The emergence of digital media, initially intended for information dissemination, has evolved into a potent instrument that shapes societal thought patterns, normalizes specific ideologies, and perpetuates Western cultural dominance. Through these platforms, anti-Türkiye discourse becomes institutionalized, serving to legitimize and sustain Western hegemony. These narratives, emanating both from within Türkiye and from international sources, contribute to the entrenchment of this ideological structure.
Notably, since 2015, Western media outlets have increasingly produced content targeting Turkish audiences. Among the most active platforms are Germany-based Deutsche Welle (DW) Türkçe, which launched on YouTube in 2011; +90, initiated under DW’s leadership in 2019; and BBC News Türkçe, operating from London since 2009. Selected through purposive sampling for this study, all three channels exhibit a consistent reliance on anti-Türkiye discourses. These narratives have transcended journalistic critique and function as instruments of propaganda. As such, representations of Türkiye are often distorted and detached from factual accuracy, reinforcing Western cultural hegemony through digital means.
The research employed content analysis, a qualitative research method. The most viewed and most liked videos from the selected channels were transcribed and coded using the MAQDA 2024 software. Based on the coding results, the themes of migration incentives, economic and cultural exclusion, and social stigma were identified. The analysis was subsequently conducted using a descriptive analysis approach aligned with these themes.
One of the key findings that emerged from this analysis is the emphasis on Türkiye’s economic conditions. The profiles featured in videos comparing the purchasing power of Turkish individuals living in Istanbul and those residing in Europe are particularly noteworthy. While participants based in Europe are typically white- or blue-collar workers, the Istanbul-based individuals are predominantly students or people not actively engaged in their professional fields. The portrayal appears to be strategically constructed to align with the intended target audience. For instance, conspicuous consumption practices are depicted to appeal to white-collar professionals considering migration, whereas such portrayals are absent in content directed at blue-collar workers.
The motivations for white-collar migration are framed around themes such as admiration for the West, economic hardship, uncertainty about the future, security concerns, feelings of loneliness, identity issues, and professional dissatisfaction. Western cities are depicted as offering high purchasing power, vibrant social life, and career fulfillment for white-collar professionals. In contrast, it is implied that these individuals cannot access such opportunities in Türkiye. While white-collar migrants are portrayed as becoming integrated with local populations in Western urban centers, blue-collar migrants are encouraged to move to the peripheries and maintain social ties primarily with other Turks. Property ownership is presented as a feasible goal for white-collar workers, whereas blue-collar workers are depicted as merely striving to sustain their basic livelihood.
Despite the distinct narratives tailored to each socio-economic group, both are shown to share a contradictory and emotionally charged sense of identity. Notably, members of both groups frequently report that being Turkish in the West is equated with foreignness and that exclusionary attitudes - rarely directed at other identities - are particularly directed toward Turkish identity. Simply being Turkish, regardless of one’s profession or circumstances, results in marginalization and alienation. Nevertheless, both groups express a preference for living in Europe over remaining in Türkiye, underscoring the pervasive influence of Western cultural hegemony.
In conclusion, this content analysis of the YouTube channels DW Türkçe, +90, and BBC News Türkçe reveals a consistent pattern of framing Türkiye in a negative light. These negative portrayals are often exaggerated or presented as uniquely Turkish issues. As such, these channels contribute to the construction of a dichotomy that positions Türkiye in contrast to the perceived superiority of the West.
