14.03.2025 12:40
The Turkish Press Federation has proposed to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) that announcements from certain professional chambers be published on their own websites. The Turkish Press Federation called on the TBMM regarding this step, which would deprive many press organizations of advertising revenue. It was requested that the demand from the professional chambers be rejected in support of a free press.
Media organizations that have been operating in the field of press and broadcasting in Turkey for a long time are about to lose another advertising revenue. Following the Turkish Union of Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), the Union of Certified Public Accountants and Sworn-in Certified Public Accountants (TÜRMOB) has also brought a bill to the Parliament that foresees the publication of general assembly announcements on the Union's official website.
The proposal was met with backlash from media organizations. The Turkey Press Federation called on all political parties with a group in the Parliament to stand by the press and abandon this ruthless attitude towards the Turkish press. In a statement describing this attitude as ruthless, it was stated: "One of the lifelines of the Turkish press, which struggles to survive under difficult conditions with its own national values, is unfortunately being attempted to be cut off by TÜRMOB."
"MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS WILL LOSE ALL ANNOUNCEMENTS RELATED TO CHAMBERS"
Following the Turkish Union of Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), the Union of Certified Public Accountants and Sworn-in Certified Public Accountants (TÜRMOB) has also brought a bill to the Parliament that foresees the publication of general assembly announcements on the Union's official website. If the proposal passes in the Parliament, the Turkish press will lose all announcements related to chambers, unions, and cooperatives.
On the legislation proposals page of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey's official website, a bill titled "Bill on Amendments to the Youth and Sports Services Law and Certain Laws and Decrees" dated March 10, 2025, and numbered 86 has been published. According to the second article of the bill, it is proposed to amend the 20th article of the Law on Certified Public Accountancy and Sworn-in Certified Public Accountancy numbered 3568 to state that the invitation to the general assembly meeting will be announced on the Chamber's official website.
PUBLICATION OF ANNOUNCEMENTS ON THE UNION'S OFFICIAL WEBSITES REQUESTED
"It is proposed to change the provision in the 34th article of the Law, which binds newspapers, stating that the general assembly meeting of the Union of Certified Public Accountants and Sworn-in Certified Public Accountants will be announced in a newspaper with a circulation of over one hundred thousand, to "will be announced on the Union's official website." Although the general assembly announcements of the mentioned chambers are made every three years and their numbers are few; it is seen that in the last sentences of the 2nd and 3rd articles of the justification section of the relevant bill, there are expressions stating that "in order to adapt to the ongoing digital transformation and ensure the effective use of resources, general assembly meeting announcements should be made through the official websites of the chamber and the union instead of postal or newspaper announcement methods."
It is thought that if the regulation prepared based on this justification becomes law, it will set a precedent for similar regulations for other chamber, union, and cooperative announcements published in newspapers.
"RUTHLESS ATTITUDE MUST BE ABANDONED"
As the Turkey Press Federation, we call for the abandonment of this ruthless attitude towards our Turkish press, which bases its entire struggle for existence on the official announcements and advertisements provided by our official institutions. We also call on all political parties with a group in the Parliament to stand by our press. Our greatest desire and expectation is for this proposal, which poses serious threats to the economic future of the press, to be withdrawn immediately.