Ezgi Aral

Ezgi Aral is a Doctoral Researcher at Loughborough University, UK, pursuing a PhD in Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy. She holds a BSc in Sociology from Hacettepe University (Ankara, Turkey) and an MSc in Journalism from Gazi University (Ankara, Turkey). Her academic journey includes internships at Hurriyet newspaper and professional roles as a Philosophy Teacher, Guidance Counsellor, Corporate Communications Specialist, and Executive Editor.

Her research focuses on media portrayal of rape, particularly analyzing high-profile cases in British news media. Her MSc thesis explored news production processes and journalism practices in internet journalism.

Research Interests: Ezgi’s work bridges criminology and media studies, examining how sociocultural contexts shape journalistic reporting on sensitive issues like sexual violence. Her studies also investigate digital journalism practices, particularly the transformative impact of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter on news dissemination and public discourse.

Research Trends: Her publications reflect a dual focus: 1) critical analysis of sexual violence reporting in the #MeToo era, and 2) the evolution of journalism in digital spaces. Recent work emphasizes ethical dimensions of media representation and societal impacts of online news ecosystems.

Advising & Grants: No formal advisees or grants explicitly detailed. Her current research is funded through her doctoral program.

Labs/Teams: Affiliated with Loughborough University’s Criminology research group, focusing on media and social policy intersections.