The Law imposes two separate ceilings and they apply together. A text exceeding the limit can give the publisher a ground for not publishing it.
The two limits
Article 14(2) of Law No. 5187: “The correction and reply shall identify the work giving rise to it. The correction and reply may not be longer than the relevant article. Where the work giving rise to the correction and reply is a writing, picture or cartoon of fewer than twenty lines, the correction and reply may not exceed thirty lines.”
| Length of the source | Ceiling for the reply text |
|---|---|
| A writing, picture or cartoon of fewer than 20 lines | 30 lines |
| A writing of 20 lines or more | The length of the relevant article |
| Example: a 12-line news item | Up to 30 lines |
| Example: a 45-line news item | Up to 45 lines |
| Example: a cartoon | Up to 30 lines |
The second rule makes sense: if the “may not be longer than the relevant article” test were applied to a very short item or a cartoon, the right of reply could not be exercised at all. The Law therefore provides a floor of thirty lines for short works.
A mandatory element of the text
The first sentence of Article 14(2) imposes a requirement: “The correction and reply shall identify the work giving rise to it.” The reply must therefore show which publication it answers — date, headline and, for an online news site, the URL.
Other qualities the text must have
Under Article 14(1) the correction and reply text must:
- Contain no element of an offence
- Not be contrary to the legally protected interests of third parties
- Have been sent within the two-month period
The publisher may not shorten the text
No. Article 14(1) is categorical: the responsible editor publishes the text “without making any correction or addition”. Where the text exceeds the limit the publisher’s course is not to shorten it but to decline publication and leave the dispute to the judge.
For the same reason the publisher may not append its own counter-view beneath the reply; that too would be an “addition”.
The measure is different for radio and television
Law No. 6112 contains no line measure; the measure is time. Article 27(b) of Law No. 2954 sets an express limit for TRT: “The reply and correction text may not exceed the duration of the relevant part of the broadcast giving rise to the reply and correction.”
| Regime | Measure | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Law No. 5187 (print, online news site) | Lines | May not be longer than the relevant article; 30 lines where the source is under 20 lines |
| Law No. 2954 (TRT) | Duration | May not exceed the duration of the relevant part of the broadcast |
| Law No. 6112 (private radio and television) | — | No length limit is written in the Law; the reply is broadcast at the same hour and in the same programme |
How are lines counted?
The Law does not define how a line is measured. In print it is assessed by reference to the publication’s own typesetting. On an online news site there is no fixed concept of a line, so how the measure applies is arguable; because of that uncertainty, keeping the text short is the practical course.
Same font size, same manner
Form is prescribed as well as length. Under Article 14(1) the text is published “on the page and in the columns where the relevant publication appeared, in the same font size and in the same manner”. Publishing the reply in a smaller font or on a different page counts as publication “contrary to the rules” for the purposes of Article 14(5) and starts a fifteen-day right of application.
Placement is covered in the placement guide and refusal in the refusal guide.