From a historical point of view, the book successfully underlines the centralized authoritarian character of the state. . . . It serves as an essential guide for scholars and students investigating recent concerns and/or the rooted tensions in the media-politics-culture triangle.
International Journal of Communication It is a real treat to read a work on the Middle Eastern media ... Read morethat shows the sociological sophistication employed by Bilge Yesil. This book is packed with stimulating ideas on Turkish media, state, and society that cut through the familiar mind-numbing cliches. Not only categories that have served Middle East experts for so long, but also the myth of Turkish Model dissolves under her scrutiny. This is a timely book and a must-read for students of international communications and any students interested in the contemporary Middle East.
Gholam Khiabany, author of Iranian Media: The Paradox of Modernity A very timely and enlightening book... Yesil uses considerable informal interview content as well as reference to abundant published sources to provide an excellent review of the processes that have undermined the rule of law in turkey, whether through state terrorism or political-economic collusion and corruption... Highly recommended. -Choice The rise of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey since the early 2000s and its overseeing of a growing economy and a forceful foreign policy have been one of the key forces shaping the Middle East in a turbulent decade bookended by the September 11 attacks and the Arab Uprisings. In Media in New Turkey , Yesil explores and explains the growth of Turkish media, its travails with the government, and its forays in the Middle East and Central Asia. Deftly eschewing media determinism, Yesil approaches Turkish media as a site of struggle between various strands of democratic and authoritarian politics, Islamism and neoliberalism. Both in its approach to the topic and in the important insights it provides, this book will be an original and lasting contribution to the literature on media, culture, and politics within and beyond the Middle East.
Marwan Kraidy, author of Reality Television and Arab Politics: Contention in Public Life A very well-researched book. Everyone interested in contemporary Turkey's grim media landscape should read it.
Hurriyet Daily News Show Less