Ercetin, TugceErdogan, Emre2024-07-182024-07-1820211468-38491743-9663https://doi.org/10.1080/14683849.2021.1874824https://hdl.handle.net/11411/7522This article aims to explain how the media reproduced populist themes during the campaign for the constitutional referendum in 2017 by examining columns in pro-government newspapers and conducting a content analysis. The findings demonstrate that 'the people' were seen as the most significant opposition to the establishment. The 'us-them' distinction was mostly used, which was promoted by othering, emphasizing the moral superiority and victimization of the in-group and humiliating out-groups. The study argues that populist discourse is successful in making group differentiations and that pro-AKP elements in the media helped the government gain consent for its campaign for a 'new Turkey.'eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccessPopulismMediaColumnistsReferendumContent AnalysisTurkish PoliticsCrisisArticle2-s2.0-8509979839910.1080/14683849.2021.18748243132Q129022Q1WOS:000611642000001