The Representation of Honor Killings in Turkish Media

Abstract

Violence against women is one of the most common violations of human rights in the world. Women have been subjected to honor violence throughout history and continue to being subjected to such violence in different cultures worldwide. Killing in the name of honor are justified in a society when the rules of honor are dictated by men and shaped around women's bodies and sexuality, which are disregarded by women. The study aims to understand whether the way media treatments femicide reinforces the existing perception of honor or not. In other words, the purpose of the study is to examine if the media uses a patriarchal language, how it captures the victims and perpetrators, how it normalizes and justifies the violence while publishing the news about honor killings. News regarding violence against women, published in two of the national newspapers daily between 2012-2014 were examined within the scope of the study and femicide reports committed on behalf of honor were selected. Selected news is analyzed using critical discourse analysis. As the result of this analysis, it was observed that the news on honor killings focused more on the popular aspect of the murder in a sensational manner. Such news used a patriarchal language, justified the violence based on the honor issues, and emphasized that women were killed due to their lack of obedience towards their husbands, and that they dishonored their family.