The number varies between 4 and 32 people depending on your category. Article 59 of the Regulation on Official Announcements and Advertisements determines not only the total but how that total is distributed among duties; meeting the total without complying with the breakdown is not accepted.
The minimum roster category by category
| Category | Total | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| General Category | 32 | 1 responsible editor, 3 news editors, 13 web editors, 11 reporters, 4 columnists |
| 1st Category | 15 | 1 responsible editor, 1 news editor, 6 web editors, 5 reporters, 2 columnists |
| 2nd Category | 12 | 1 responsible editor, 1 news editor, 4 web editors, 4 reporters, 2 columnists |
| 3rd Category | 8 | 1 responsible editor, 3 web editors, 3 reporters, 1 columnist |
| 4th Category | 6 | 1 responsible editor, 2 web editors, 3 reporters |
| 5th Category | 4 | 1 responsible editor, 1 web editor, 2 reporters |
Two thresholds stand out. First, the news editor (news desk chief) post is required only in the General, 1st and 2nd Categories; in the 3rd, 4th and 5th that duty is not compulsory. Second, there is no columnist post in the 4th and 5th Categories.
The difference between the General Category and the 5th is eightfold. That row shows the price of a nationwide quota location — and to it are added the requirements of 120 news items a day and 250,000 daily unique visitors.
A responsible editor is compulsory in every category
Every row of the table contains one responsible editor (managing editor). That is not only a requirement of the Regulation: Article 5 of Press Law No. 5187 also requires every periodical to have a responsible editor and sets separate conditions for that person.
Moreover, under Article 18(3), the responsible editor cannot benefit from the residence exemption: while a limited number of other editorial staff may reside outside the quota location, that flexibility is not granted for the responsible editor.
The residence condition and its exceptions
Article 18 requires editorial staff on the roster to reside in the quota location of the publication for which they work. The same article permits residence outside it provided they remain within the administrative boundaries of the same province and neighbouring provinces, and sets a maximum per category:
| Category | Maximum staff exempt from the residence condition |
|---|---|
| General Category | 10 |
| 1st and 2nd Category | 4 |
| 3rd and 4th Category | 2 |
| 5th Category | 1 |
In those cases the Agency decides whether the duty can be performed properly and continuously, taking distance and public transport into account. Residence is determined by the primary address in the national population register.
Quality is required too
Meeting the number alone is not enough. Under Article 18 the employment contracts of the editorial staff shown on the roster must be written and full-time in conformity with Law No. 5953, their wages paid in advance over a full day and a full month, the contractual duty actually performed, social security and tax accruals made within the statutory period, and the persons concerned must carry on no activity outside journalism.
Who may be on the roster (Art. 19) and who may not (Art. 20) are regulated in separate articles; see the eligibility guide.
Conclusion
The minimum roster for online news sites is 4 in the 5th Category, 6 in the 4th, 8 in the 3rd, 12 in the 2nd, 15 in the 1st and 32 in the General Category. The breakdown is binding too: a responsible editor is required in every category, a news editor only in the first three.
A separate table applies to newspapers — see the newspaper staffing guide. For all the staffing conditions see the minimum roster guide.