ECONOMY JOURNALISM: A GLANCE AT FIELD
DR. SARPHAN UZUNOĞLU
HAZAL SENA KARACA
Executive Summary
“Economic journalism” contains a series of problems that need to be carefully examined and addressed in Turkey’s media ecosystem in parallel with the current economic and political climate and as the transformation of journalism.
Despite the apparent abundance of information and experts, the quality of the news and the gradual decrease in the number of specialized journalists are among the most important indicators that make these problems noteworthy. So where does the problem start? What are the obstacles to a solution? How is news about economics affected in a communication ecosystem where everyone can have their own media and where disinformation is so intense?
This study, in which we examine the current situation of economic journalism in Turkey through these questions, aims to both present a framework for the current situation of business journalism and provide insights to young journalists who want to continue their career in this field by addressing different dynamics ranging from journalists’ news sources to the censorship-self-censorship problem and the problem of specialization. It aims to guide.
- The main obstacles to the development of economic journalism are the problem of specialization and the problem of censorship and self-censorship, which is reinforced by the current political climate but always in question in Turkey. Lack of access to news sources, lack of financial literacy and budget constraints of newsrooms are also some of the main problems in Turkey’s existing political structure.
- The ownership structure of the media, regardless of ideological affinity, deeply affects the economy services of newspapers and televisions.
- According to the economic reporters/journalists, it is an important problem that opinion leaders who do not have expertise in the field of economics express their opinions on the economy.
- Especially in recent years, while economic news has become tabloid material, important news about the economy may remain in the background due to the fact that the data cannot be processed and visualized properly.
- There is a prevailing opinion that economic journalism is one of the areas that the disinformation law will make the most fragile.
- One of the recommendations of journalists working in the field is that journalists starting their career should know English at a good level, a second foreign language if possible, have received education on economics, follow the agenda well, and learn to process and visualize data.
- While street interviews are not generally considered economic journalism, there is no common view on the effects of this format. While some of the journalists we interviewed consider such content alarming, some of them think that street interviews do not paint a disturbing picture for both the public and the press economy.