27-52 Görsel Yalanlar, Sayısal Gerçekler: Türkiye’de Dijital Habercilikte İnfografik Yoluyla Veri Manipülasyonuna Eleştirel Bir Bakış
Visual lies, digital truths: a critical look at data manipulation through ınfographics in digital journalism in Türkiye

Summary/Abstract: This study investigates how infographic content, which has become increasingly prevalent in digital journalism, functions as a potential vehicle for data-driven manipulation and ideological framing. In the contemporary media landscape, infographics are no longer merely tools for conveying information; rather, they operate as discursive instruments that shape, direct, and, in some cases, distort the construction of meaning. The theoretical framework of this research is grounded in Pinto’s (2017) criteria for ethical and structural standards in infographic journalism, Cairo’s (2016) typology of manipulation techniques through data visualization, Kress and van Leeuwen’s (2020) multimodal discourse analysis model of visual narratives, and Wainer’s (2016) theory of “strategies of visual lies. Employing a qualitative research design, the study systematically examines infographic news content published between April 1 and April 30, 2025, on two major digital news platforms in Türkiye: TRT Haber and Habertürk. Using descriptive analysis, the research identifies several manipulative strategies embedded within the infographics, including decontextualization, axis and scale distortion, selective data presentation, and visual hierarchy. These strategies reveal that infographic structures-despite their appearance of objectivit-are capable of subtly guiding audience perception in ideologically laden ways. The findings suggest that the foundational principles of data journalism-particularly objectivity and impartiality-can be discursively undermined through the visual representation of data. As such, this study underscores the need to critically assess infographic content not only in terms of technical accuracy but also with regard to the ideological and discursive frameworks it conveys. Infographics, therefore, should be understood as active agents in the construction of media discourse rather than as neutral representations of factual data.

• Details
• Contents