The künye (imprint, or masthead) is the mandatory set of information showing by whom, from where and under whose responsibility a publication is issued. Article 4 of Press Law No. 5187 ("the Press Law") regulates it in four layers: a minimum set for every printed work, an additional set for periodicals, and — through the paragraphs inserted by Act No. 7418 in 2022 — two further sets for internet news sites. This article separates the four layers, explains the six mandatory items specific to internet news sites one by one, and gives a directly copyable imprint page template together with a template for the date stamp on news pages.
The four layers of the imprint obligation
Article 4 is not a single list. Which paragraph applies to you depends on the type of your publication; internet news sites are addressed by three of the layers at once.
| Layer | Who it applies to | What must be shown | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Layer 1 | Every printed work | Place and date of printing, the names of the printer and, where there is one, the publisher, their trade names where they have them, and their business addresses | Art. 4(1) |
| Layer 2 | Every kind of periodical other than news agency output | Place of management, the names of the owner, of the representative where there is one, and of the responsible editor, and the type of the publication | Art. 4(2) |
| Layer 3 | Internet news sites | Business address, trade name, e-mail address, contact telephone, electronic notification address, and the name and address of the hosting provider | Art. 4(3) (added by Act No. 7418, Art. 3) |
| Layer 4 | Internet news sites | The date content was first published and the dates of subsequent updates | Art. 4(4) (added by Act No. 7418, Art. 3) |
Under Article 2(c) of the Press Law, an internet news site counts as a periodical (süreli yayın). The second layer therefore binds you as well: the place of management, the owner, the representative where there is one, the names of the responsible editor (sorumlu müdür) and the type of the publication must all appear in the imprint. In practice the item most often left out is "the type of the publication".
Information required in every printed work (Art. 4(1))
Article 4(1): "Every printed work shall show the place and date of printing, the names of the printer and, where there is one, the publisher, their trade names where they have them, and their business addresses. This provision does not apply to advertisements, tariffs, circulars and the like." The final sentence is a narrow exception: printed products such as advertisements, tariffs and circulars fall outside the imprint obligation — but that exception does not extend to news content.
Additional information for periodicals (Art. 4(2))
Article 4(2): "In every kind of periodical other than news agency output, the place of management, the names of the owner, of the representative where there is one, and of the responsible editor, and the type of the publication shall additionally be shown." Five items are added, and news agency output is left outside the scope of this paragraph.
- Place of management — must be the same as the address stated in your declaration of publication (Art. 7(2))
- Name of the owner — the name of a natural person or the trade name of a legal entity
- Name of the representative where there is one — the representative of a legal entity (Art. 2(l))
- Name of the responsible editor — where there is more than one, together with the section each is responsible for (Art. 5(1))
- Type of the publication — national (yaygın), regional (bölgesel) or local (yerel) (Art. 2(d), (e), (f))
Imprint items specific to internet news sites (Art. 4(3))
The paragraph inserted by Article 3 of Act No. 7418 reads: "Internet news sites shall additionally keep the business address from which they operate, their trade name, e-mail address, contact telephone and electronic notification address, together with the name and address of their hosting provider, available on their own internet medium in such a way that users can reach them directly from the home page, and under a contact heading."
- The business address from which it operates
- Its trade name
- E-mail address
- Contact telephone
- Electronic notification address (elektronik tebligat adresi)
- The name and address of the hosting provider
The paragraph prescribes not only which information must be present but also how it must be presented. There are two formal requirements: the information must be kept in such a way that users can reach it directly from the home page, and under a "contact" heading. This means it is not enough to write the imprint on some page; there must be a direct route to that page from the home page.
An e-mail address and an electronic notification address are not the same thing
Article 4(3) lists the two separately: "e-mail address" and "electronic notification address". The first is the ordinary mailbox through which readers and sources reach you. The second is your address for the purposes of the law of service of process, and under Article 7(2) it is also stated in the declaration of publication. The electronic notification address you publish in the imprint must be the same as the one stated in your declaration; if it changes, Article 8(2) requires it to be notified by a new declaration within two weeks. We covered the declaration side in detail in the guide to the periodical publication declaration.
The name and address of the hosting provider
The Act requires you to show in the imprint the name and address of the organisation hosting your server. This makes it public who hosts your site. When you change hosting provider, the imprint must be updated too; otherwise the situation of a matter under Article 4 being "shown contrary to the truth" arises, and Article 15 becomes applicable. Since the provider's details are an item that has to be written into the imprint, working with a provider whose corporate name and address are clear on the hosting side makes your life easier.
Copyable imprint page template
The template below contains the items in Article 4(1), 4(2) and 4(3) in order. The page must be linked directly from the home page; putting it at /iletisim and heading it "İletişim" is the safest choice, because it matches the wording of the statute exactly. The page itself is published for a Turkish-language audience, so the Turkish labels are the ones that go live; the English glosses in brackets are there so you can fill the form in.
İLETİŞİM [CONTACT]
[NAME OF THE PUBLICATION] — internet haber sitesi [internet news site]
Bu künye bilgileri 5187 sayılı Basın Kanunu m.4 uyarınca yayımlanmıştır.
[Imprint information published pursuant to Article 4 of Press Law No. 5187.]
YAYIN BİLGİLERİ [PUBLICATION DETAILS]
Yayının adı : ...........................................
[Name of the publication]
Yayının türü : yaygın / bölgesel / yerel (5187 m.2/d-e-f)
[Type of publication] [national / regional / local]
Yayım aralığı : gün içinde sürekli güncellenen
[Publication frequency] [continuously updated during the day]
SAHİPLİK VE SORUMLULUK [OWNERSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITY]
Yayın sahibi : ...........................................
[Owner of the publication]
Ticari unvan : ...........................................
[Trade name]
Tüzel kişi temsilcisi : ...........................................
[Representative of the legal entity]
Sorumlu müdür : ...........................................
[Responsible editor]
(where there is more than one responsible editor, each is written together
with the section for which he or she is responsible)
ADRES VE İLETİŞİM [ADDRESS AND CONTACT]
Yönetim yeri : ...........................................
[Place of management]
Faaliyet gösterilen
iş yeri adresi : ...........................................
[Business address from which the site operates]
İletişim telefonu : ...........................................
[Contact telephone]
Elektronik posta : ...........................................
[E-mail address]
Elektronik tebligat
adresi : ...........................................
[Electronic notification address]
YER SAĞLAYICI [HOSTING PROVIDER]
Adı : ...........................................
[Name]
Adresi : ...........................................
[Address]
DÜZELTME VE CEVAP [CORRECTION AND REPLY]
Düzeltme ve cevap talepleri 5187 m.14 uyarınca sorumlu müdüre yukarıdaki
adreslerden iletilebilir.
[Requests for correction and reply may be sent to the responsible editor at
the addresses above, pursuant to Article 14 of Press Law No. 5187.]
Son güncelleme : ..... / ..... / 20.....
[Last updated]The imprint block as HTML
The block below can be dropped straight into the contact page. Naming the link that leads to this page from the home page menu or the footer "İletişim" is the safest choice; it matches the phrase "under a contact heading" in the statute exactly. The Act has not expressly regulated the name of the page and has not prescribed a sanction for names such as "Bize Ulaşın" or "Künye"; what is required is that the information be gathered under a contact heading, so the name that leaves no room for doubt is "İletişim". The markup stays in Turkish because that is what the site's readers see; the comments explain each field.
<section id="iletisim" class="kunye">
<h1>İletişim</h1> <!-- Contact — the statutory heading -->
<p>5187 sayılı Basın Kanunu m.4 uyarınca yayımlanan künye bilgileridir.</p>
<!-- Imprint information published pursuant to Article 4 of Press Law No. 5187 -->
<dl>
<dt>Yayının adı</dt> <dd>Örnek Haber</dd> <!-- Name of the publication -->
<dt>Yayının türü</dt> <dd>Yerel süreli yayın</dd> <!-- Type: local periodical -->
<dt>Ticari unvan</dt> <dd>Örnek Medya Yayıncılık A.Ş.</dd> <!-- Trade name -->
<dt>Yayın sahibi</dt> <dd>Örnek Medya Yayıncılık A.Ş.</dd> <!-- Owner -->
<dt>Tüzel kişi temsilcisi</dt><dd>Ad Soyad</dd> <!-- Representative of the legal entity -->
<dt>Sorumlu müdür</dt> <dd>Ad Soyad</dd> <!-- Responsible editor -->
<dt>Yönetim yeri</dt> <dd>Açık adres, İlçe/İl</dd> <!-- Place of management -->
<dt>İş yeri adresi</dt> <dd>Açık adres, İlçe/İl</dd> <!-- Business address -->
<dt>İletişim telefonu</dt> <dd><a href="tel:+900000000000">+90 000 000 00 00</a></dd>
<dt>Elektronik posta</dt> <dd><a href="mailto:info@ornek.tr">info@ornek.tr</a></dd>
<dt>Elektronik tebligat</dt> <dd>Elektronik tebligat adresi</dd> <!-- Electronic notification address -->
<dt>Yer sağlayıcı</dt> <dd>Sağlayıcı unvanı — açık adresi</dd> <!-- Hosting provider: name and address -->
</dl>
</section>
<!-- The direct link that must be present on the home page: -->
<a href="/iletisim">İletişim</a>Do not generate the link afterwards with JavaScript, do not bury it in the second level of a drop-down menu, and do not close it to search engines. The requirement is that the user can reach it directly from the home page; what is looked for is not that the page exists in the source, but that there is a visible route to it on the home page.
Content dates: first publication and updates (Art. 4(4))
The second paragraph added by Act No. 7418 concerns most publishing software directly: "On internet news sites, the date on which a piece of content was first made available and the dates of subsequent updates shall be stated on the content in such a way that they do not change each time it is accessed."
There are three separate commands here. First, the date of first publication must be shown. Second, the dates of subsequent updates must be shown — the plural; a single "last updated" stamp does not fully meet the letter of the provision, and showing the update history is safer. Third, the dates must not change each time the content is accessed — that is, there must be no "today" stamp recalculated every time the page is opened — and they must sit on the content.
<!-- News page date stamp — Press Law No. 5187, Art. 4(4) -->
<article>
<h1>Headline</h1>
<div class="tarih-damgasi"> <!-- date stamp -->
<p>
İlk yayım: <!-- First published -->
<time datetime="2026-02-11T09:30:00+03:00">11 Şubat 2026, 09:30</time>
</p>
<p>
Güncellemeler: <!-- Updates -->
<time datetime="2026-02-11T14:05:00+03:00">11 Şubat 2026, 14:05</time>,
<time datetime="2026-02-12T08:20:00+03:00">12 Şubat 2026, 08:20</time>
</p>
</div>
<!-- body of the news story -->
</article>REQUIREMENTS ON THE SOFTWARE SIDE
[ ] Dates are held in fixed database columns:
first_published_at -> written once on first publication, then NEVER changes
update_log -> a new row is added on every edit made after publication
[ ] Dates are rendered server-side; they are not generated client-side with
new Date().
[ ] The cache layer does not rewrite the date fields.
[ ] Corrections to drafts (changes made before the piece goes live) do not count
as updates; the counter starts running after first publication.
[ ] A typo fix is an update too — it is logged.
[ ] The date block sits ABOVE the body of the story, immediately under the
headline.The sanction for breaching the imprint rules (Art. 15)
Article 15: "Where the matters required to be shown under Article 4 in printed works and on internet news sites are not shown, or are shown contrary to the truth, the responsible editor and the authorised person to whom the responsible editor reports in the case of periodicals, and the publisher in the case of non-periodical works, together with the printer who does not show, or wrongly shows, its name and address … shall be punished with a heavy fine." The words "and on internet news sites" were inserted by Article 28 of Act No. 7418.
Two distinct acts are punished: not showing the matter at all, and showing it contrary to the truth. The second is the one encountered more often in practice — the responsible editor has changed but the imprint still carries the old name, the hosting provider has changed but the imprint has not been updated. The persons addressed are, for periodicals, the responsible editor and the authorised person to whom the responsible editor reports; for non-periodical works, the publisher and the printer who does not show, or wrongly shows, the imprint details.
| Type of publication | Lower limit as written in the Act (2004, old Turkish lira) |
|---|---|
| General framework | Heavy fine of 500 million lira – 20 billion lira |
| Regional periodical | Cannot be less than 2 billion lira |
| National periodical | Cannot be less than 5 billion lira |
Common mistakes
- Showing the imprint only in small type in the footer, without setting up a "Contact" page reachable directly from the home page (Art. 4(3))
- Choosing "Künye" (Imprint), "Hakkımızda" (About us) or "Bize Ulaşın" (Get in touch) as the page name and drifting away from the "contact" heading in the statutory text — the Act does not expressly regulate the page name, but heading it "İletişim" removes the doubt
- Not writing the electronic notification address at all — being the newest item, introduced by Act No. 7418, it is also the one most often skipped
- Repeating the ordinary e-mail address in place of the electronic notification address; Article 4(3) lists the two separately
- Writing the hosting provider's name but not its address; the paragraph says "the name and address"
- Leaving the type of publication (national/regional/local) out of the imprint entirely (Art. 4(2))
- Not updating the imprint when the responsible editor changes — this creates the situation of "showing contrary to the truth" (Art. 15)
- Printing the update date as "today" every time the page is opened; Article 4(4) requires the dates not to change each time the content is accessed
- Keeping a single "last updated" field and losing the earlier update dates
- Placing the date block at the very bottom of the story; the paragraph requires the dates to be stated "on the content"
- The place of management in the imprint differing from the place of management in the declaration of publication
Imprint check before going live
- The /iletisim page exists and is linked directly from the home page (Art. 4(3))
- Trade name and business address are written in (Art. 4(3))
- E-mail address and contact telephone are written in (Art. 4(3))
- The electronic notification address is written in and matches the one in the declaration (Art. 4(3), Art. 7(2))
- Both the name and the address of the hosting provider are written in (Art. 4(3))
- Place of management, owner, representative where there is one, responsible editor and type of publication are written in (Art. 4(2))
- On every news page the date of first publication appears on the content (Art. 4(4))
- Update dates are preserved and do not change when the page is refreshed (Art. 4(4))
- There is a defined internal process for updating the imprint when the responsible editor or the hosting provider changes (Art. 15)
The imprint is your site's most visible obligation under the legislation; but it is not the only one. You will find the full list, including content retention, reply and correction, and criminal and civil liability, in the news website legal compliance checklist. For the route to follow when a correction request reaches the responsible editor named in your imprint, see the model petition for reply and correction.