While the font size and number of lines are numerically determined for newspapers (Art. 40), for internet news sites the criterion is qualitative: care over the design and coding technique.
The Full Text of the Article - Art. 62
It is compulsory for internet news sites, in accordance with technological developments, to take care over the design and coding technique, and to take the measures necessary for every kind of writing, picture, photograph, graphic, cartoon and the like in their content to be understandable and, in addition, for such content to be relevant to its texts and to be easily readable.
Four Obligations
| Obligation | Content |
|---|---|
| 1 | To take care over the design and coding technique in accordance with technological developments |
| 2 | That the writing, pictures, photographs, graphics, cartoons and the like be understandable |
| 3 | That such content be relevant to its texts |
| 4 | To take the measures necessary for the content to be easily readable |
Its Counterpart for Newspapers
| Issue | Newspaper | Internet news site |
|---|---|---|
| The general principle | Care over the page layout (Art. 40/1) | Care over the design and coding technique (Art. 62) |
| Relevance of the image to the text | Yes (Art. 40/1) | Yes (Art. 62) |
| Readability | Yes (Arts. 40/1, 41/1) | Yes (Art. 62) |
| A numerical criterion | Yes - 12-14 lines in 5 cm, 8-10 points (Art. 40/2) | No - a qualitative criterion |
| Information at the top of the page | The date, page number and name (Art. 40/3) | The imprint obligation (Art. 58) |
The Technical Procedures and Principles - Art. 52/2
(Added: Official Gazette 6/3/2024-32481) - The procedures and principles relating to the rules with which internet news sites must comply technically are determined by the Board of Directors.
The BIK Analytics Obligation - Art. 61/6
(Amended: Official Gazette 8/12/2023-32393) - Internet news sites must use BIK Analytics and take the measures that will ensure it works. The traffic data of internet news sites that do not take the measures necessary for BIK Analytics to work, or do not end their obstructive activities, are accepted as zero and action is taken under the provisions of the relevant legislation.
Art. 61/7 (Added: Official Gazette 8/12/2023-32393): the conditions of use of BIK Analytics and the technical details are determined by the Directorate General and announced through the websites of the Agency.
We cover the measurement system in the traffic measurement guide.
Independent Audit - Art. 61/8
(Added: Official Gazette 8/12/2023-32393) - The conformity of the measurement operations of BIK Analytics with that article is audited, on the request of the Agency and according to the relevant Turkish Auditing Standards, through the organisation determined by the Board of Directors from among the independent audit organisations authorised by the Public Oversight, Accounting and Auditing Standards Authority, (Added phrase: Official Gazette 10/12/2025-33103) at least once every three years. After the audit a report is prepared and submitted to the Agency.
Art. 61/9: where the measurement conditions stated in that article change, a new audit is had carried out by the Agency.
A Checklist
- Is the BIK Analytics code working on the site?
- Is there a configuration blocking measurement (bot protection, caching, script blocking)?
- Are the images relevant to the news text?
- Are the texts easily readable? (contrast, font size, line spacing)
- Are the technical procedures and principles determined by the Board of Directors being followed?
Summary
Internet news sites must take care over the design and coding technique in accordance with technological developments and ensure that their content is understandable, that the images are relevant to the text and that the content is easily readable. The procedures and principles of the technical rules are determined by the Board of Directors; in addition it is compulsory to ensure that BIK Analytics works - otherwise the traffic data are accepted as zero.