Conditions of sense making and news making in Turkey after the failed coup attempt: Sisyphus labor on two fronts

Abstract

Turkey has been experiencing events with major impacts on almost all areas of life, including journalism, since the failed coup attempt of 15 July. Since then, the public’s access to healthy news by the public and news making by journalists/news organizations have become increasingly crucial, yet complex operations. This article focuses on the 2 months after failed coup attempt, from the events that took place in the very first hours of the coup attempt, which are presented and discussed from media and communication perspective. This is followed by a detailed critical examination of consequently declared state of emergency in relation to news and news organizations. Then, post-coup attempt situation in Turkey is contextualized in a global tendency, namely, increasing complexity in sense making as journalistic institutions’ public service roles deteriorate.