What Changed in Turkish Media Law This Year

At a glance: the 2025-2026 picture

A fundamental change in Law No. 195: Law No. 7587

The most important instrument of the period is Law No. 7587 on Amendments to Certain Laws. It was adopted on 24/6/2026 and published in the Official Gazette of 1 July 2026, issue 33297. Article 18 of the Law took effect as from 31/12/2025, while its other articles entered into force on the date of publication. Two of its articles concern press law: ARTICLE 7 and ARTICLE 8. Both amend Law No. 195.

ARTICLE 7 — new Article 35/A of Law No. 195: qualifying conditions and duties of internet news sites

Article 7 of Law No. 7587 added ARTICLE 35/A to Law No. 195. The article is headed 'Qualifying conditions and duties of internet news sites'. It provides that the criteria required of internet news sites that are to carry official advertisements are to be set by the General Assembly of the Press Advertising Agency. Among the criteria to be set, the following are listed:

• Number of news items published
• Content characteristics
• Staffing (the complement of intellectual workers to be employed)
• Number of readers
• Length of time in publication

The real significance of this change lies in legal technique. Law No. 7418 brought internet news sites within the scope of Law No. 195 in 2022 (Article 45/A) and, in Provisional Article 9, provided for their qualifying conditions to be set within six months by a regulation issued by the General Assembly. In other words, the conditions for internet news sites to receive official advertisements had until now been laid down only at the level of secondary legislation. Article 35/A has raised that framework to statutory level. The internet news site counterpart of Article 34 — which already existed for newspapers (content, number and size of pages, staffing, actual sales, minimum period in publication) — has thus taken its place in the statute.

Practical consequence: if you run an internet news site, the basis of your right to carry official advertisements is now the statute itself, not merely a regulation. You will need to follow the determinations the General Assembly makes under this article. You can review your general compliance obligations on the publishing side in one place in our legal compliance checklist for internet news sites.

ARTICLE 8 — Article 49 of Law No. 195 rewritten: graduated suspension of advertisements

Article 8 of Law No. 7587 recast Article 49 of Law No. 195. This was not done in a vacuum: it was done to fill the legal gap created by the Constitutional Court annulment described below. Instead of a single upper limit, the new system introduces a graduated sanction:

An aggravating rule was also added to the article: 'Where the duration of the breach exceeds one month, the number of days shall be doubled.' (Unofficial translation.) So in a breach lasting more than a month, the 1-10 day range for a first breach becomes 2-20 days.

The second important point is scope: the new Article 49 frames the sanction so as to cover internet news sites as well as newspapers and magazines. Internet news sites, brought within the scope of Law No. 195 in 2022, are now expressly subject to the same sanction regime.

The Constitutional Court annulment: BİK's power to suspend advertisements

The reason for the amendment in Law No. 7587 is the Constitutional Court's decision E.2023/168, K.2025/132 of 17/6/2025. The decision was published in the Official Gazette on 13 October 2025. The Court annulled subparagraph (a) of Article 49 of Law No. 195 — the provision that allowed newspapers, magazines and internet news sites to have their advertisements suspended for up to two months.

The ground of annulment was not the sanction itself but a problem of legal certainty. According to the decision, the power to determine which acts and transactions would attract a sanction, and which act would attract what duration and scope of sanction, had been given to the Agency by a general reference without being framed in the statute. This was found to be contrary to Articles 13, 26 and 28 of the Constitution. This explains why the graduated table of periods introduced by Law No. 7587 is so detailed: the legislature has sought to cure the lack of certainty identified in the annulment by writing the ranges of days into the text of the statute itself.

After the annulment, the structure of Article 49 of Law No. 195 as in force was as follows:

The route of challenge did not change: a decision of the Board of Directors may be challenged within ten days of its notification before the Civil Court of First Instance at the place where the Directorate General of the Agency is located, and simplified procedure applies to such challenges (Art. 49 of Law No. 195, second paragraph as amended by Law No. 7418).

What did this annulment mean in practice for local newspapers?

Between 13 October 2025 and 1 July 2026, there was no statutory basis for a sanction suspending advertisements against newspapers, magazines and internet news sites carrying official advertisements. During that period:

• The statutory basis for the suspension sanction had ceased to exist; the only sanctions that survived were the closure of the producer arrangement and disciplinary proceedings against public officials.
• In ongoing disputes, or disputes extending into that period, the provision on which the sanction applied was based must be assessed by reference to the date of the annulment. That assessment depends on the concrete case; if you have a file, be sure to remind your lawyer of the date of the annulment decision and the day of its publication in the Official Gazette.
• From 1 July 2026 the new, graduated regime is in force. A first breach now attracts a suspension of at most 10 days; the old 'up to two months' ceiling is not in the text of the statute.
• Because the number of repetitions directly determines the duration under the new regime, keeping an orderly archive of your breach records and your correspondence with BİK has become a concrete commercial interest.

A second Constitutional Court annulment: the finality of civil court decisions

In the same period the Constitutional Court gave a second annulment decision: E.2025/184, K.2025/244. The decision was given on a reference made by the Bakırköy 9th Civil Court of First Instance; the underlying case was an action brought by the Journalists' Association (Gazeteciler Cemiyeti) against BİK advertisement suspension penalties. The rule annulled was the provision under which decisions given by civil courts of first instance against penalties under Article 49 of Law No. 195 are final. The grounds were again Articles 13, 26 and 28 of the Constitution.

Its practical importance is considerable: once the finality provision is annulled, a decision of the civil court of first instance is no longer final and an appeal route opens. For a publisher intending to challenge a BİK sanction, this means a shift from single-instance to multi-instance adjudication.

Broadening of scope in Broadcasting Law No. 6112: Law No. 7573

On the radio and television side the only change came with Law No. 7573 on Amendments to Certain Laws and to Decree-Law No. 375. It was adopted on 23/1/2026 and published in the Official Gazette of 29 January 2026, issue 33152.

Article 9 of that Law amended the second paragraph of Article 33 of Law No. 6112. The phrase 'broadcasting and' in the paragraph was broadened to 'broadcasting, or among organisations continuing their broadcasts under Provisional Article 4'. In other words, older organisations that continue terrestrial broadcasting under Provisional Article 4 of Law No. 6112, because the ranking tender has not been held, were also brought within the scope of the provision.

For organisations broadcasting terrestrially and holding Provisional Article 4 status, this means that the obligations in Article 33(2) will now apply to them as well. The previous amendment to Law No. 6112 was Article 66 of Law No. 7491 of 27/12/2023 (adding the definitions of 'conditional access' and 'net sales' to Article 3, and the annulment of Article 14(5)-(6)).

What did not change: Laws No. 5187 and 5953

For a publisher, knowing 'what did not change' is as valuable as knowing what did, because it tells you that you do not need to rebuild your compliance system.

Press Law No. 5187: no change in 2025-2026

The last amendment to Law No. 5187 was Law No. 7418 of 13/10/2022, the 'Law on Amendments to the Press Law and Certain Other Laws' (Official Gazette 18/10/2022). That law brought internet news sites within the scope of Law No. 5187 and added the press card regime as Additional Articles 1-8. No law amending Law No. 5187 could be found for the period 2023-2026; the full texts of the two omnibus laws of 2026 (7587 and 7573) were read and it was directly confirmed that they do not touch Law No. 5187. The only recorded Constitutional Court annulment concerning Law No. 5187 is a very old one: E.2004/81, K.2008/48 (31/1/2008), annulling part of Article 9(2).

Press Labour Act No. 5953: no new amendment and no new annulment

For Law No. 5953 too, neither a statutory amendment nor a new Constitutional Court annulment was found in the period 2024-2026. The last statutory amendment was again by Law No. 7418: the words 'internet news sites' were added to Article 1, bringing the employees of those sites within the scope of the Law. The last Constitutional Court annulment is decision E.2021/62, K.2023/89 (4/5/2023); it annulled the first paragraph of Article 6 and a sentence in the paragraph governing the amount of severance pay, and the annulment took effect on 14/6/2023. Because the text of the annulled sentence does not appear in the consolidated text of the law in force, the full text of the decision as published in the Official Gazette should be consulted for its scope.

The upshot is that the framework applicable to journalists' employment relationships has been stable since 2023. If you have not built your contract text on that framework, it is worth looking at our journalist employment contract template compliant with Law No. 5953.

One proposal is pending on the legislative side: a proposal to amend Press Law No. 5187, tabled by Tahsin Becan, member of parliament for Yalova, under case number 2/3436, reached the Speaker's Office of the Grand National Assembly on 19 December 2025 and was referred to the Justice and Constitutional Committees. It has not become law. This information could be confirmed from a single source only; verify the current status of the proposal through tbmm.gov.tr.

The Press Card Regulation: last known amendment 6 June 2024

The Press Card Regulation currently in force was brought into force by Presidential Decision No. 7051; Official Gazette of 10 April 2023, issue 32159. Its basis is Additional Articles 1 to 8 of Law No. 5187. This regulation repealed the previous Press Card Regulation of 13/12/2018.

The only known amendment to the Regulation was made by Presidential Decision No. 8624 and published in the Official Gazette of 6 June 2024, issue 32568. The articles amended were 14, 16, 23, 24, 25 and 26. What they introduced:

• In Article 24 the phrase 'in newspapers published at fifteen-day intervals and magazines published at intervals of more than fifteen days' was replaced by 'in news and photograph agencies'.
• In Article 26 the word 'private radio' was changed to 'radio', and 'photographer' was added to the job titles eligible for a press card in radio and television.
• By a fourth paragraph added to Article 14, at most twenty-four months of periods spent holding a freelance press card are taken into account in calculating the eighteen-year period required for a permanent press card.
• By a paragraph added to Article 25, and under Article 23 for Anadolu Agency, it was provided that no press card is issued to those at TRT and Anadolu Agency who do not work in the news field.
• In Article 16 the phrase 'uploading to DES' was changed to 'transmission to the Directorate in electronic form'.

No record could be found of any amendment to the Press Card Regulation in 2025 or 2026. This is not conclusive proof that there was none; it only means that none was found in the research. Confirm the version of the Regulation in force by searching on mevzuat.gov.tr under Presidential Decision number 7051. When calculating your quota, compare the tables in our article on calculating the quota by type of publication against the current text of the Regulation.

What did the Constitutional Court decide about the disinformation offence (Article 217/A of the Penal Code)?

The annulment action brought against Article 217/A of the Turkish Penal Code ('publicly disseminating misleading information', one to three years' imprisonment), added by Article 29 of Law No. 7418, was rejected by eight votes to six by the Constitutional Court's decision E.2022/129, K.2023/189 of 8 November 2023. The provision was therefore not annulled and remains in force. No new annulment decision concerning this provision could be found for the period 2024-2026.

Who is affected by which change, and what to do

If you are a local newspaper carrying official advertisements

• From 1 July 2026 the sanction of suspending advertisements is graduated. Keep a record of your breach history; the number of repetitions directly determines the number of days.
• Bear in mind that the number of days is doubled where the duration of the breach exceeds one month. Closing an ongoing deficiency within a month halves the penalty.
• The time limit for challenging a sanction decision is still ten days from notification; it is a limitation period, so do not miss it.
• Follow changes on the pricing side separately: the tariff is renewed every December. You can compare past years' unit prices and rates of increase in our official advertisement rate archive.

If you run an internet news site

• Article 35/A of Law No. 195 has raised the framework of your qualifying conditions and duties to statutory level. Follow the determinations the General Assembly makes under this article through bik.gov.tr.
• The new Article 49 sanction regime expressly covers internet news sites; you are now subject to the same graduated system as newspapers.
• Because the criteria include the number of news items, staffing and reader numbers, keep your publishing statistics and social security records in documented form.

If you are a radio or television broadcaster

• Read the new text of Article 33(2) of Law No. 6112: if you are an organisation continuing terrestrial broadcasting under Provisional Article 4, you now fall within the scope of that paragraph.
• The amendment entered into force on 29 January 2026; distinguish your position before and after that date.
• Apart from this there is no change to Law No. 6112 in the 2025-2026 period; your framework of broadcasting principles (Art. 8) and sanctions (Art. 32) has remained stable.

If you hold or are applying for a press card

• The applicable text is the Press Card Regulation of 10/4/2023 as amended on 6/6/2024.
• Remember that at most twenty-four months of a period spent on a freelance card are counted in calculating the period for a permanent press card.
• You can follow the Commission calendar and the channel through which results are announced in our article on the Press Card Commission meeting calendar.

How to follow the changes yourself

An article of this kind belongs to the moment it is published. The lasting solution is to follow the primary source directly. The three-step routine below is sufficient for a publisher:

1) THE VERSION OF THE LAW IN FORCE
   mevzuat.gov.tr -> search by law number (5187 / 5953 / 6112 / 195)
   Look at the "Laws Adding to and Amending" table at the end of the
   consolidated text
   The footnotes beneath each article show which law changed it and when

2) NEWLY PUBLISHED TEXTS
   resmigazete.gov.tr -> index by date
   Omnibus laws are published under the name "Bazi Kanunlarda Degisiklik
   Yapilmasina Dair Kanun" (Law on Amendments to Certain Laws); check
   article by article whether they amend press legislation

3) CONSTITUTIONAL COURT DECISIONS
   normkararlarbilgibankasi.anayasa.gov.tr -> norm review (annulment
                                              actions / references)
   kararlarbilgibankasi.anayasa.gov.tr     -> individual applications
   Search by case and decision number (example: E.2023/168 - K.2025/132)

Summary

• Article 49(a) of Law No. 195 was annulled by the Constitutional Court's decision E.2023/168, K.2025/132; the decision was published in the Official Gazette on 13/10/2025.
• Law No. 7587 (Official Gazette 1/7/2026 – 33297) rewrote Article 49: tiers of 1-10 / 5-15 / 10-20 / 15-25 days, doubling of days where the breach exceeds one month, internet news sites included.
• The same law added Article 35/A to Law No. 195, raising the qualifying conditions and duties of internet news sites to statutory level.
• The Constitutional Court also annulled the finality of civil court decisions against penalties under Article 49 (E.2025/184, K.2025/244 — confirmed from a single source).
• Article 33(2) of Law No. 6112 was broadened by Law No. 7573 (Official Gazette 29/1/2026 – 33152) to include organisations within the scope of Provisional Article 4.
• There was no change to Laws No. 5187 and 5953 in this period; the last major instrument is Law No. 7418 of 2022, and the last Constitutional Court annulment for Law No. 5953 is K.2023/89 of 2023.
• The last known amendment to the Press Card Regulation is dated 6/6/2024; no later amendment could be found.
• The request to annul Article 217/A of the Turkish Penal Code was rejected by the Constitutional Court on 8/11/2023; the provision is in force.