ANIMAL SHELTERS AS LIVING SPACES PRESENTED IN KONYA LOCAL PRESS

YAŞAM ALANI OLARAK HAYVAN BARINAKLARININ KONYA YEREL BASININDA SUNUMU

Abstract

Both district and metropolitan municipalities across Türkiye are seeking solutions to the problem of stray animals, which is frequently on the public agenda. Numerous studies have been conducted addressing the issue of stray animals from various perspectives, particularly in the fields of law, public administration, and social sciences. This study examines the “Stray Animals Natural Habitat,” a project implemented in the Meram district of Konya to address stray animals, through its presentation in local newspapers published in Konya. The way in which the “Natural habitats” issue, which is presented by the public authority as a humane perspective in solving the stray animal problem in the news, is presented in local newspapers, specifically in Konya province, is analyzed by analyzing the language and discursive structures used in presenting the problem and in the solution suggestions, using the discourse analysis method, which Teun Van Dijk describes as an effective method in revealing the power relations in society.  In this study, it has been seen that the discourse created in the news is reproduced through the active and passive structures used in the news, especially the word choices and syntaxes used in the news, as well as the macro structures through news headlines and news themes. The news stories in this study present the natural habitat as a humane solution, and meaning is created at the macro level through headlines, news introductions, and subheadings. At the micro level, macro structural elements are supported by word choices, syntax, and the use of active and passive voices. In terms of the limitations of the study, the study was limited to the printed newspapers published only in Konya province on April 16, 2025, and internet news sites and national press published in the city were excluded from the scope. While no critical expression was found on the subject in the local newspapers examined, it was concluded that the newspapers handled the issue from a protective perspective in terms of public health. While animals were directly presented to the readers as a social threat in the news, it was observed that the news was conveyed to the readers with humane expressions from the perspective of animals through the discourse.