The Commission has nineteen members. The breakdown is set out in seven sub-paragraphs of Article 30 of the Regulation.
Distribution of Members
| Sub-para. | Determined by / from | Members |
|---|---|---|
| a | Representing the Directorate | 3 |
| b | By the professional body with the most press-card-holding members, among press and broadcasting professional bodies established by owners and/or staff of periodicals | 1 |
| c | One each by the professional bodies with the most press-card-holding members in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, plus one by the body with the most such members among those established in provinces outside those three | 4 |
| ç | By the Directorate, from holders of permanent press cards | 4 |
| d | By the professional body with the most members among those established by board chairmen and/or journalist staff of nationally broadcasting radio and/or television organisations | 1 |
| e | By the Directorate, from journalists holding a duty-based press card | 1 |
| f | By the union with the most press-card-holding members among unions operating as workers' unions | 2 |
| g | By the Directorate, from deans of communication faculties or from press-card-holding journalists | 3 |
| TOTAL | 19 |
Qualification Required of Members
Article 30/2: members determined under sub-paragraphs (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f) are, as a rule, selected from professionals who have held a press card for at least five years.
The third paragraph adds a stability rule: changes in the membership numbers of the bodies represented during a member's term are disregarded.
Term and Chairmanship
Article 31: members serve for two years and may be re-elected. At its first meeting the Commission elects, by the votes of an absolute majority of the full membership, a chair and a deputy chair from among its members for two years. In the chair's absence the deputy chair presides.
Termination of Membership
Article 32 covers three situations:
- The membership of a member who fails to attend three consecutive meetings without excuse ends. Members notify their excuse to the Directorate in writing before the meeting day, and the Commission decides on its validity.
- Membership ends automatically on death, resignation, or the ending of the member's duties at the institution concerned.
- A new member is determined by the same procedure to complete the remaining term.
Powers of the Commission
Article 33 lists five powers:
- (a) To decide on the acceptance or refusal of a request by assessing the applicant's qualifications, professional work, published works and awards
- (b) To warn a card holder or decide on cancellation of the card in cases of conduct contrary to press ethics
- (c) To decide on the acceptance or rejection of the excuses of members who did not attend
- (ç) To decide that some applications be voted on as a block
- (d) To warn a member disrupting the order of proceedings and, on persistence, to decide on their removal from the meeting
Statutory Basis
The Commission's composition is set out in the same structure in Additional Article 5 of Press Law No. 5187; the Regulation implements that article.
Bottom Line
The Press Card Commission has nineteen members: three representing the Directorate, five from professional bodies, four from permanent card holders, one from the national radio-television professional body, one from duty-based card holders, two from a workers' union, and three from communication faculty deans or journalists. Members serve two years and, for most seats, must have held a card for at least five years.