‘Complete Neutrality’ or ‘Controlled Enmity’? The Role of the Turkish Press during the Italo-Ethiopian War of 1935–36

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between the Turkish government and the Turkish press by taking the Italo-Ethiopian War of 1935–36 as a case study. The Turkish press attached much importance to the conflict and covered two main issues: the increasingly insecure environment in world politics and how Turkey should position itself in the face of these changing dynamics. Emphasising the divergences between the rhetoric of the government and the coverage of the press about these issues, this article argues that in the early Republican period, the press, rather than being simply dictated to by the government, had a more independent and active position than it is often given credit for in the secondary literature.