Baudrillard in Ankara: mainstream media and the production of <i>simulacra</i> in the Turkish public sphere

Turkey’s recent democratic backsliding has been profoundly reflected in the near-complete government control of mass media. Pro-government mainstream media, rather than pursuing truth, engaged systematic production and dissemination simulacra. Developed by Baudrillard, concept simulacrum can provide insights into truth reality perceptions Turkish voters. This a topic widely discussed, given that produced simulacra establish legitimation framework for government’s domestic foreign policies. Various print electronic sources are studied to analyse content speeches used techniques. In this study, Baudrillard’s scheme will be applied study three political narratives dominant public sphere: ‘struggle survival (bekâmücadelesi)’, projection key opposition leaders as ‘traitors’, ideal leadership diplomacy from past present through two popular television series, ‘Diriliş Ertuğrul (Resurrection Ertuğrul)’ ‘Payitaht Abdülhamid (Leader Abdülhamid)’.