Official announcements are the most stable item of revenue for many local publications in Turkey, and the subject that generates the most questions. This page gathers the answers to 50 of them in the order in which they arise in the process. All the answers were written from the texts of the Regulation on Official Announcements and Advertisements, Law No. 195, Law No. 5187 and Law No. 7201, with article numbers.
A map of the process
| Stage | The decisive figure | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Acquiring the right | Newspaper 36 months, site 24 months (6 months on double conditions) | 1 |
| Staffing | Newspaper 3–14, site 4–32 people | 2 |
| Content and traffic | 15–120 news items a day; page views three times unique visitors | 3 |
| Indicator | Newspaper 40–180, site a fixed 150 | 4 |
| Quota | Total indicator × coefficient | 5 |
| Fee | Commission 15% | 6 |
| Sanction | Suspension = the length of the breach | 7 |
| Inspection | Objection within 10 working days | 8 |
1. Acquiring the right and the waiting period
2. The minimum editorial roster
- How many editorial staff does an online news site need?
- How many editorial staff does a newspaper need?
- Who counts on the editorial roster, and who does not?
- How quickly must a roster change be reported?
For an overview see the minimum roster guide.
3. Content and visitor traffic
4. Indicators and additional indicators
5. Quota and coefficient
6. Fee, commission and price
7. Sanctions, objections and loss of the right
8. Press ethics principles
9. Inspection board inspections
10. Operating conditions
Premises, bookkeeping, continuity of publication and content rules.
- Must a newspaper have premises?
- Do newspapers keep books on the balance sheet basis?
- What is a sectoral ledger?
- After how many days without publishing does the right lapse?
- Is publishing compulsory on public holidays?
- What happens if two newspapers print the same item?
- What is the mahreç and how is it written?
- If I change the newspaper’s name, does my right continue?
11. Which announcements count as official?
- Which announcements count as official?
- Is a cooperative general assembly announcement official?
- Are insurance company announcements official?
- Is foundation university advertising an official announcement?
- Is Turkish Airlines advertising within the scope of official announcements?
- How is service by publication published?
What software solves, and what it does not
Some of the conditions are technical and some are a matter of personnel. The masthead, the archive, accessibility, the content counter and traffic measurement can come inside the system; no software can solve the staffing condition. The distinction is set out item by item in the BIK compliant news software guide.
Other master guides
| Guide | Scope |
|---|---|
| RTUK and Broadcasting Questions | Broadcasting service principles, advertising limits, sanctions, licences, elections and TRT — 45 questions |
| Legal Limits of News Reporting in Turkey | Names and images, private life, confidentiality of investigations, right of reply, liability and damages — 55 questions |
| Digital Publishing Questions | Copyright and quotation, content removal, data protection, ad labelling, freedom of information — 44 questions |
| Turkish Press Law: Tools and Templates | Contract and masthead templates, calculators, checklists, glossary and timeline |