İlayda Sorku
Forests in Turkey are not only under pressure from mining companies, energy projects and mega-investments. The media landscape, which renders forest destruction invisible, is also one of the significant actors in this process.
The research titled “Differences in political approaches of the media in conveying forest news to the public” has revealed that pro-government media outlets render fundamental issues such as deforestation, forest degradation and fires invisible, whilst pursuing an editorial line that highlights government policies instead.
In the study prepared by Forestry Policy Expert Prof. Dr Erdoğan Atmış, Assistant Professor Hikmet Batuhan Günşen and Associate Professor Cihan Erdönmez, nearly 600 news articles, opinion columns and interviews published in 2019 and 2020 were examined. In the study published in Society & Natural Resources, an international academic journal, the researchers classified BirGün and Sözcü as opposition media, and Hürriyet, Sabah and Milliyet as pro-government media. The most striking finding of the study was that the two media groups did not merely approach the same events differently, but established entirely different agendas altogether.
According to the research, forest allocations became the most frequently covered topic in the media. However, the pro-government media turned a blind eye to news reports regarding the opening up of forests to mining, energy, transport and tourism projects.
ALLOCATIONS MOSTLY CONCEALED
55.8 per cent of allocation news reports were directly related to mining activities. The researchers drew attention to the fact that mining activities have become one of the primary causes of deforestation and forest degradation.
The study stated that along with economic growth-oriented policies post-2002, forests ceased to be viewed as natural assets that must be preserved, and were instead treated as land plots to be utilized for mining, energy and infrastructure projects. It was emphasized that these policies fragmented large forest ecosystems, threatened biodiversity and increased the risk of fires.
THE SAME LANDSCAPE REGARDING FIRES
The topic of forest fires ranked second among the most frequently covered subjects. According to the research, pro-government newspapers mostly limited their coverage of fires to reports merely stating that a fire had broken out and that extinguishing efforts had commenced. Questions regarding why the fires started, why they grew or why they could not be brought under control failed to find a place for themselves.
Opposition newspapers, on the other hand, handled fires not merely as a natural disaster topic, but as a consequence of forestry policies. They produced news reports questioning the relationship between fires and allocations, forest fragmentation and human pressure.
In the research, the Canal Istanbul project also stood out as one of the symbols of pressure on forests. Evaluated under the category of zoning and infrastructure projects, it was stated that Kanal İstanbul fragmented forest areas, created new settlement pressures and increased the risk of fires. The study noted that the vast majority of news reports regarding the project were featured in opposition newspapers.
CAMPAIGNS INSTEAD OF DESTRUCTION
According to the study, the pro-government media concentrated on headings that highlighted government policies rather than the fundamental problems of forestry. It was stated that "National Afforestation Day" events were particularly brought to the fore, whereas news reports regarding deforestation and forest degradation were pushed into the background. The researchers expressed that this editorial line rendered criticisms directed at the government’s forestry policies invisible.
The headings highlighted by the pro-government media were listed as follows:
Afforestation campaignsNational Afforestation Day eventsRural development projectsInstitutional activitiesWildlife studies
In the conclusion section of the study, the researchers stated that the approach of the pro-government media, which renders the fundamental problems of forestry invisible, damages the culture of democracy, weakens the public’s right to receive information and prevents forestry policies from being discussed in a rational manner. The research emphasized that citizens following different newspapers have come to possess entirely different information and perceptions about the very same forestry issues.
THE MEDIA’S REPORT CARD
- Total news reports, opinion columns and interviews examined: 573
- Reports published in opposition newspapers: 65%
- Reports published in pro-government newspapers: 35%
THEY REMAINED BLIND TO PROFITEERING
- 90.4% of allocation news reports
- 69.1% of fire news reports
- 91% of news reports against government policies were published in opposition newspapers.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Yandaşlar da orman zararlılarından, published in BirGün newspaper on June 2, 2026.
