Abstract:

The differences in the manner of discourse in media, whose primary function is to inform, have focused on many studies on communication. The media with different political orientations and audiences from different backgrounds might reproduce events based on their ideologies and presentation ways. Thus, ideology can lead to different perceptions of reality by affecting the representation of newspapers. The study aims to present reviews of how the opening of the Hagia Sofia to worship on 24 July 2020 has been covered by the media by focusing on how it has been reported to the audience and the selection and production of the discourse. Besides, the study's primary purpose is to investigate the differences between the dominant discourse and discourses of different ideological structures when reporting the same events in the news presentation in question. Critical discourse analysis is employed to review the two groups of newspapers with opposing ideologies: Sabah and Yeni Şafak representing the conservatives, and Sözcü and Cumhuriyet represent the left-wing. The analyses are limited to the newspapers' first pages after the first Friday prayer after Hagia Sophia was opened to worship. The results reveal that both groups have covered the opening of the Hagia Sofia for Friday prayer, embedding their ideologies and that they have tried to intensify their ideological campaigns through their manner of discourse.

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