Abstract:

In the United States, the events that followed the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020 turned into a mass reaction and spread to other countries. In this study, the news of George Floyd's death on www.amerikaninsesi.com was analyzed in the context of racism and hate speech. The aim of the study is to determine how the news of the death of George Floyd, who died as a result of police violence, was reflected on www.amerikaninsesi.com and how black people were perceived in the context of racism and hate speech. As the first piece news on this incident was published on 27 May,in line with the framework of the purposeful sampling method, the one week period between 27 May and 2 June was included in the analysis conducted in this study. The seventeen pieces of news published in this one-week period were analyzed in detail. Remarkable and meaningful photographs used in the news were also included in the study. Critical discourse analysis of Teun A. van Dijk was chosen as the research method. Analysis of the news revealed that attention was drawn to the violence that occured after the death of Floyd. The main incident and news subject were trivialized. Protests were presented as the main event. Ideological and meaningful photos were used. In the news, blacks were associated with crime, poverty, violence and looting. Otherization was defined around demonstrators and police opposition. Statements by public institutions and officials were conveyed in the forms of active sentences and their discourses were reproduced. In the news, the words otherizing and trivializing the person were used. The discourses and statements of the demonstrators were not included in the news. Whether the trial was fair or not, othering or the racist approach that Blacks face in society was not emphasized at all.

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