Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a prevalent condition that affects the lives of individuals around the world. Despite its medical and social significance, little research has been done on the living conditions of individuals diagnosed with autism in Turkey, the challenges that they and their families experience in social life. To fill this gap in the literature, this study examines how the mainstream Turkish print media cover and frame autism-related stories, through a qualitative framing analysis of 541 news reports published in widely circulated national newspapers in Turkey. Key findings include that autism is positively represented in the news media as a social fact by the support of the society and non-governmental organizations. In terms of source frame, journalists constitute the most frequently cited source in the news reports under review. We have noted that the autism-related news stories often feature nutrition and genetic/congenital factors as causes of autism. This study highlights the impact that media representations of autism have on people’s understanding of this disorder and its social implications.

摘要

自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 是一种普遍存在的疾病，它影响着世界各地人们的生活。尽管具有医学和社会意义，但对土耳其被诊断患有自闭症的人的生活条件、他们及其家人在社会生活中所经历的挑战的研究很少。为了填补文献中的这一空白，本研究通过对土耳其广泛发行的全国性报纸上发表的 541 篇新闻报道进行定性框架分析，研究土耳其主流印刷媒体如何报道和构建与自闭症相关的故事。主要发现包括，在社会和非政府组织的支持下，自闭症在新闻媒体中被积极地描述为一种社会事实。在源帧方面，记者是所审查的新闻报道中最常引用的来源。我们注意到，与自闭症相关的新闻报道通常将营养和遗传/先天因素作为自闭症的原因。这项研究强调了媒体对自闭症的描述对人们对这种疾病及其社会影响的理解的影响。