Abstract:

It seems fair to say that the mass media, both in Turkey and around the world, has occupied stage front as a leading actor in the sweep of globalization since 1980. The mass media has served as the subject of a number of studies. But a cursory survey of the studies reveals that the focus on the media has been primarily directed at the influence of the mass media on society, on the family, or on the individual. Studies of the mass media professionals themselves or of the nature of the media, however, have been neglected. A broader approach to the interactive relations between the media and society could open new pathways to expand the scope of the discussion. As a modest step toward this end, the present article focuses on the results of a study designed to elicit the perception and values of Turkish mass media professionals in regard to the family structure. The following discussion centers on the perceptions of the family of the professionals serving in the Turkish mass media, which are, in turn, based on their family values and how these have affected their attitudes and the messages that are produced.

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