One of the shortest but most striking articles of the Law. It establishes an obligation that stands at the boundary of journalism.
The Full Text of the Article
Article 30 - News concerning the security of the State that the Turkish Radio-Television Corporation has obtained but has not been able to broadcast is notified only to the relevant element of the executive to be designated by the President. That matter is governed by a protocol.
The Elements of the Article
| Element | Provision |
|---|---|
| Which news? | That concerning the security of the State |
| In what situation? | Obtained but not able to be broadcast |
| To whom is it notified? | Only to the relevant element of the executive to be designated by the President |
| How is it governed? | By a protocol |
The Word "Only"
Two Conditions Together
The obligation arises only where two conditions are met together:
- The news must concern the security of the State,
- The news must have been obtained but not broadcast.
We cover the power of prohibition in the broadcast ban guide.
The Protocol
The last sentence of the article leaves the procedure to a protocol: that matter is governed by a protocol.
The Neighbouring Article: Supervision of Broadcasts
Article 31 (supervision of broadcasts) was repealed by Decree-Law No. 703. There is no longer a general provision on the supervision of broadcasts in the Law; supervision runs within the Corporation's own internal regime and within the framework of Law No. 6112.
We cover the detail in the repealed articles guide.
Its Relationship with Source Protection
A Disciplinary Provision on Internal Supervision
Art. 56/B lists among the acts requiring the penalty of a deduction from salary the act of broadcasting a programme, news item or news programme without its supervision having been carried out, or causing them to be broadcast. So a stage of internal supervision before broadcast is provided for at TRT and skipping it requires a disciplinary penalty.
We cover the detail in the discipline guide.
Summary
Art. 30 of Law No. 2954 provides that news concerning the security of the State that TRT has obtained but has not been able to broadcast is notified only to the relevant element of the executive to be designated by the President. The procedure of notification is governed by a protocol. The article does not define which news cannot be broadcast; that assessment is made together with the general broadcasting principles and the power of prohibition in Art. 23.