The press card, accreditation and a freedom of information request all pass through a single institution: the Directorate of Communications. The institution's founding document is Presidential Decree No. 14 of 24/7/2018. This guide gathers the Decree and the regulations and directives attached to it under twenty-three headings.
Where Does a Journalist Do Which Thing?
| Transaction | Unit | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| A press card application | The regional directorate accepts it, keeps the file and sends it to the Directorate | Regional Directorates Reg. Art. 5/g |
| Issuing the card | The Press and Publications Department | Presidential Decree No. 14 Art. 7/1-e (added by Presidential Decree No. 66) |
| Accreditation | The Press and Publications Department | Presidential Decree No. 14 Art. 7/1-ç |
| A freedom of information request | The Department of Public Relations | Presidential Decree No. 14 Art. 8/1-c |
| A CIMER application | The Department of Public Relations + the regional directorate officer | CIMER Reg. Art. 11 |
| A DES subscription | The Press and Publications Department | DES Directive Art. 4/c |
1. Establishment and Organisation
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- duties-and-powers-of-the-head-of-communications-turkey
- why-byegm-closed-and-how-the-directorate-of-communications-was-founded
The Directorate of Communications was founded by Presidential Decree No. 14 upon the repeal, by Art. 122 of Decree-Law No. 703, of Decree-Law No. 231 on the Directorate General of Press and Information. The Head is responsible directly to the President (Art. 4).
2. Service Units
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- the-public-diplomacy-department-turkey
- public-relations-translation-and-strategic-communication-departments-turkey
Art. 5 lists ten service units. The structure has changed twice since 2018: Presidential Decree No. 66 (Official Gazette 18/9/2020-31248) added the Department of Strategic Communication and Crisis Management and the Private Secretariat; Presidential Decree No. 92 (Official Gazette 19/2/2022-31755) amended the Personnel and Training Department and added the Support Services Department.
3. The Provincial Organisation
Under Art. 22 the provincial organisation consists of regional directorates attached directly to the centre and is established in 19 centres: Adana, Afyonkarahisar, Ankara, Antalya, Bursa, Çanakkale, Diyarbakır, Edirne, Erzincan, Erzurum, Gaziantep, &Inodot;stanbul, &Inodot;zmir, Kayseri, Konya, Muğla, Samsun, Şanlıurfa and Trabzon. Liaison offices may be set up where needed.
4. Anadolu Agency and the Promotion Fund
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- the-promotion-fund-and-the-directorate-of-communications-turkey
| Issue | Provision | Article |
|---|---|---|
| The AA contract | A contract of at most 5 years, not exceeding the appropriation in the budget | Art. 14 |
| Audit of AA | The Directorate has the power of audit over the Agency's budget | Art. 14 |
| Fund projects | The Directorate examines or has examined, and submits those found suitable to the President | Art. 15/1 |
| The amounts | The aid and allocation amounts are determined by the President | Art. 15/2 |
| Recovery | Non-payment or recovery for projects contrary to the protocol - the decision is the President's | Art. 15/3 |
5. Applications and Freedom of Information
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- the-procedure-for-petitions-to-authorities-turkey
- the-state-information-system-des-rules-of-use-turkey
CIMER has five channels: the electronic and mobile service provider, the e-Devlet gateway, ALO 150, letter/post and applying in person. No signature is required for electronic and telephone applications. The response periods are not in the CIMER Regulation but in Art. 11 of Law No. 4982: as a rule fifteen working days.
6. Training Programmes for Press Members
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- domestic-language-training-for-press-members-turkey
| Programme | Age limit | Duration | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overseas professional training and internship | 50 | At most 6 months | The Promotion Fund |
| Domestic foreign language training | 45 | The course term | The Promotion Fund |
Both programmes require at least a high school diploma, actual work in the field of press and broadcasting, a yellow press card and leave from the organisation. In the overseas programme those first in the Schools of Press and Broadcasting are exempt from the yellow card condition.
7. The Personnel Regime
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- promotion-and-title-change-at-the-directorate-of-communications-turkey
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- the-internship-directive-of-the-directorate-of-communications-turkey
| Status | Instrument it is subject to | Discipline |
|---|---|---|
| Civil servant | Law No. 657 | 657 + the Disciplinary Superiors Regulation |
| Communication expert | Additional Art. 41 of Law No. 657 + the Communication Expertise Regulation | 657 |
| Contracted personnel | Art. 4/B of Law No. 657 + the Principles on Contracted Personnel | The Principles |
| Permanent worker | Law No. 4857 | The Discipline Regulation for Permanent Workers |
Appointment as an expert requires at least three years of actual work, an accepted thesis, at least seventy points in the proficiency exam and a document at least at level (C) in the YDS.
8. The Internal Regime
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- financial-management-internal-audit-and-budget-at-the-directorate-of-communications-turkey
- procurement-exemptions-and-contracted-staff-at-the-directorate-of-communications-turkey
The backbone of financial management is Public Financial Management and Control Law No. 5018. The opinion given as a result of preliminary financial control is advisory and preventive; it does not bind the spending authority and does not remove their responsibility. In procurement, the 3/b (security and confidentiality) and 3/y (promotion and digital transformation) exemptions of Law No. 4734 are used.
9. The Overseas Organisation
Permanent appointment requires at least four years of higher education, at least three years of public service and at least seventy points in the YDS; the language document is valid for three years. In temporary assignments the daily allowances are determined by Presidential decision under Art. 34 of Travel Allowance Law No. 6245 and are increased by 50% for the first ten days.
Constitutional Court Annulments
Presidential Decree No. 14 has passed through review of the conformity of presidential decrees with the Constitution. The annulments visible in the consolidated text:
| Provision | Decision | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Art. 3 | E.2022/93, K.2024/9 | 18/1/2024 |
| Art. 14, second and third sentences | E.2019/71, K.2020/82 | 30/12/2020 |
| Art. 17 - certain phrases | E.2020/88, K.2023/224 | - |
| Art. 22 | E.2018/134, K.2021/13 | - |
Other Main Guides
| Guide | Scope |
|---|---|
| turkish-press-card-guide | Card types, conditions, commission, quotas, cancellation |
| journalist-employment-rights-turkey | The Law No. 5953 regime: contract, wages, leave, notice and severance |
| starting-a-media-outlet-in-turkey | Declaration, imprint, responsible editor, delivery, archive, licensing |
| turkish-media-ancillary-legislation-map | Legal deposit, printing houses, elections, service, the levy, transmission, advertising |
| copyright-data-protection-and-access-to-information-in-turkish-news | Quotation, source attribution, reader data and freedom of information |
| turkish-news-agencies-and-support-legislation | Agency conditions, Anadolu Agency, the Promotion Fund and the 2018 alignment package |
| working-as-a-foreign-journalist-in-turkey | Work permits, residence, card types, the letter of introduction, customs |