What might be called the constitutional principle of official announcement distribution is contained in a single phrase: without regard to differences of opinion and doctrine.
The Principle of Distribution — Art. 32
Official announcements are distributed, without regard to differences of opinion and doctrine, to the periodicals whose qualities are to be determined under Article 34, within the principles to be laid down by the General Assembly of the Press Advertisement Agency. The provision of Article 33 is reserved.
| Element | Content |
|---|---|
| Criterion | Without regard to differences of opinion and doctrine |
| To whom | To the periodicals whose qualities are determined under Art. 34 |
| Under which principles | The principles to be laid down by the General Assembly |
| Reserved provision | Art. 33 — service by publication |
Why Does This Principle Exist?
The Qualities of Newspapers — Art. 34
The qualities of the periodicals to which official announcements are to be given are determined by the General Assembly of the Press Advertisement Agency in respect of:
- a) content
- b) the number and size of pages
- c) the staff
- ç) actual sales
- d) the minimum period of publishing life
and of the other aspects that may be considered appropriate.
The General Assembly determines the qualities of periodicals in places where the Agency has no branch without being bound by the matters written in the paragraph above.
The General Assembly separately determines the principles for giving announcements and advertisements to periodicals published in foreign languages in Turkey and to journals of ideas and the arts.
Announcement of the General Assembly Decisions — Art. 36
The decisions to be given by the General Assembly of the Agency concerning the principles of distribution, the qualities of periodicals and the duties to be imposed on them under Article 35 are announced in the Official Gazette.
Distribution in Practice: The Quota System
The principles laid down by the General Assembly operate today as the indicator and quota system:
| Concept | Content | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Basic indicator | 40–180 for newspapers according to the place of publication and periodicity, 150 for internet news sites | What the indicator number is |
| Additional indicator | An increase based on the staff, surface area, printing, distribution, sales and traffic criteria | How an additional indicator is obtained |
| Coefficient | The multiplier used in calculating the quota | How the official announcement coefficient is calculated |
| Monthly quota | The amount of official announcements the publication may receive that month | How the monthly official announcement quota is found |
| Balance | The fate of an unused quota | Does an unused quota carry over to the following month? |
The List — Art. 37
(Amended paragraph: 13/10/2022-7418/20) — The Directorate General of the Agency announces, at the end of each month, through the websites of the Agency, a list containing the names and qualities of the periodicals and internet news sites to which official announcements and advertisements may be given. We covered the detail in the monthly list of periodicals.
Conclusion
Official announcements are distributed, without regard to differences of opinion and doctrine, to the periodicals whose qualities are determined under Art. 34, within the principles to be laid down by the General Assembly. The qualities are determined in respect of content, the number and size of pages, the staff, actual sales and the minimum period of publishing life. The General Assembly decisions on the principles of distribution, the qualities and the duties are announced in the Official Gazette.