The most decisive rule of the press card legislation concerns not the title but the work: working in the news field.
Written in Three Separate Places
| Organisation | Provision | Sub-paragraph |
|---|---|---|
| Anadolu Agency | No press card is given to those who do not work in the news field at Anadolu Agency. | Art. 23/2 |
| TRT | No press card is given to those who do not work in the news field at the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation. (Added: Official Gazette 6/6/2024-32568-Presidential Decision 8624/5) | Art. 25/2 |
| Radio and television | No press card is given to those who do not work in the news field, even if they work in the titles listed above. | Art. 26/2-f |
Embedded in the Definition of a Journalist — Art. 4/h
Journalist: those working for a wage in intellectual and artistic work within the scope of Law No. 5953, together with those working in the news units of the radio and television organisations established under Law No. 6112 and those working in the news units of the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation.
It Also Appears as Qualifications Within Sub-Paragraphs
| Title | Qualification | Sub-paragraph |
|---|---|---|
| Designer graphic artist | Taking part in the news field | Arts. 19/1-j, 20/1-j, 21/1-i, 22/1-h, 24/1-j, 27/1-j |
| Regional/provincial representative (at agencies) | Concerned with the news | Art. 24/1-e |
| News manager, editor, sub-editor, chief | On condition of working in one of the 17 news fields | Art. 19/1-g and its equivalents |
The 17 News Fields
The Regulation lists the news fields expressly for the managerial titles: politics, home news, foreign news, current affairs, the economy, finance, celebrity news, education, sport, culture and the arts, tourism, the family, health, science and technology, the environment, exclusive news and new media news. We covered the detail in the news manager: duties and the press card title.
No Separate Provision for Newspapers and Magazines
There is no general paragraph in Arts. 19, 20, 21, 22 and 27 in the form “no card is given to those who do not work in the news field”. However:
- Most of the titles are already defined by news work
- There is the qualification “taking part in the news field” for the designer graphic artist
- The 17-field condition is required for the managerial titles
- Art. 7/2 already leaves outside the scope organisations that do not provide services in the media field
The Parallel Rule in the Official Announcement Legislation
Official Announcements and Advertisements Regulation Art. 18/2-c: it is compulsory that intellectual workers actually do the work corresponding to the duties stated in their contracts.
Art. 18/2-d: they must not engage in a commercial business from which they will derive a benefit and must not carry on any activity outside the profession of journalism.
What to Do in Practice
- State the job description and, where relevant, the news field expressly in the employment contract.
- Be in a position to document the connection of the work actually done with news production.
- Gather non-news roles such as advertising, marketing and accounting in separate people.
- Make the staff and title notifications in time.
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Conclusion
The condition of working in the news field is written expressly in three places in the Press Card Regulation: Anadolu Agency (Art. 23/2), TRT (Art. 25/2) and radio and television (Art. 26/2-f). The last is the clearest: no card is given even to those working in the titles on the list. The condition is also embedded in the definition of a journalist (Art. 4/h), in the designer graphic artist and agency representative sub-paragraphs, and in the 17-field qualification.