Yes. This is the most direct tool the Press Law gives to individuals, and it works without waiting for a court order: you send the text and the responsible editor must publish it. A court becomes involved only if it is not published.
When the right arises
Article 14(1) of Law No. 5187: “Where a periodical publishes material infringing the honour and dignity of persons or contrary to the truth in relation to persons, the responsible editor must publish the correction and reply text sent by the person harmed … without making any correction or addition.”
| Condition | Explanation |
|---|---|
| One of two alternatives | Material infringing honour and dignity or contrary to the truth |
| It must relate to a person | An inaccuracy on a general subject does not create the right |
| The person must have been harmed | The right belongs to the person harmed by the publication |
| The text must contain no element of an offence | Art. 14(1) |
| It must not be contrary to the legally protected interests of third parties | Art. 14(1) |
The time limits
| Step | Period | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Sending the text | Two months from the date of publication | Art. 14(1) |
| Publication in a daily periodical | Within three days at the latest of receipt | Art. 14(1) |
| Publication in other periodicals | In the first issue after three days | Art. 14(1) |
| Publication on an online news site | Within one day at the latest of receipt | Art. 14(1) |
| Application to court if not published | Fifteen days from expiry of the period allowed for publication | Art. 14(5) |
| Application if published contrary to the rules | Fifteen days from publication | Art. 14(5) |
| Decision of the criminal judge of peace | Three days, without a hearing | Art. 14(5) |
| Expedited objection | The competent authority decides within three days; final | Art. 14(6) |
| Where an heir exercises the right | One month is added to the two-month period | Art. 14(8) |
Form and placement of the text
Article 14(1) also fixes the manner of publication: the correction and reply is published “on the page and in the columns where the relevant publication appeared, in the same font size and in the same manner”. On online news sites it is additionally published with a URL link provided.
Article 14(2): “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.”
The responsible editor may not alter the text
The wording is categorical: the responsible editor publishes the text “without making any correction or addition”. The publisher may not add its own comment, shorten the text or append a counter-view beneath the reply.
Where there is more than one edition
Article 14(3): “Where a periodical is printed in more than one place, the correction and reply text shall be published in all editions in which the work giving rise to the exercise of the right of correction and reply was published.”
Where the content has been removed or access blocked
The sentence added by Law No. 7418 creates a special regime: “Where a decision to block access to and/or remove the content of a publication is implemented, or where the content is removed by the online news site of its own motion, the correction and reply text shall be published on the online news site on which the relevant publication was made, on the home page for the first twenty-four hours and for a period of one week.”
Different periods for radio and television
In broadcasting services the right of correction and reply is governed not by Law No. 5187 but by Article 18 of Law No. 6112: the request must be made within sixty days and the text broadcast within seven days, at the same hour and in the same programme. We deal with that difference in the television guide.
Heirs
Article 14(8): “Where the person entitled to the right of correction and reply dies, the right may be exercised by one of the heirs. In that case one month is added to the two-month period for the right of correction and reply in the first paragraph.”
The detail of the periods is covered in the deadlines guide and refusal in the refusal guide.