Turning crisis into opportunity: Grain corridor news in Turkish media

In contemporary times, the effects of political and military conflicts, alongside the climate crisis, pose challenges to ensuring food security, particularly for developing countries, leading to problematic access to food. The recent political and military tensions between the Russian Federation and Ukraine have caused disruptions in international food trade, potentially leading to a food crisis. One of the domains reflecting the conflicts, tensions, and struggles for hegemony is the media and its content. The Black Sea Grain Initiative, established with the aim of sustaining international grain shipments, was duly signed in Istanbul in July 2022, valid for a duration of 120 days. The agreement, known as ‘the grain corridor’, which had its validity extended on 18 March 2023, has been approached within the Turkish media through the lens of the conflicts between the two nations and Turkey’s mediation capabilities. This study undertakes the content analysis of 216 news articles, in which the expression ‘grain corridor’ appeared in the headlines, spanning the period from July 2022, when the agreement came into effect, to July 2023, covering the most widely read online newspapers in Turkey. The Turkish media, in constructing its narratives, has chosen to address the crisis while neglecting phenomena and concepts such as the food crisis and security, focusing primarily on the ‘diplomatic success of Turkey’. Consequently, the news content in question features limited discussions concerning the causes and consequences of global issues pertaining to food supply, food security and food crisis. This situation can be attributed to the fact that the Turkish public, instead of demonstrating a consistent and scientific approach to the urgency of the problem and potential solutions, has been captivated by contemporary political conflicts.