Yalova
Ways of expressing freedom -
national facts
In Turkey, the development of press and the struggle of
freedom of press have gone by varied eras.
* "Takvim-i
Vakayi" - The first Turkish
newspaper : was printed in
11 November , 1831. It was
founded by Sultan II. Mahmud.
Takvim-i Vakayi was an official gazette at which the government works
and executed reforms was printed to the community and foreign people. It
was the single newspaper of
Turkey during almost 10
years.
* "Ceride-i Havadis" : was
printed in 1840 by an English man William Churchill. Although it was founded
by
private capital, it was faced with the threat of closure because of
insufficient sale. After it received
state relief, it became a semiofficial gazette.
* "Tercüman-ı Ahval" : was
founded by Agah Efendi. It is the first private Turkish newspaper. The
opinion writings on economy, industry, trade, policy and scholary were
involved in this newspaper.It
became a newspaper that the journalits could convey their thoughts to
the community.
* After that, "Tasvir-i
Efkar" and others were printed.
* "Matbaa Nizamnamesi"
came into force in 1857. People must get permission from the goverment who
wants to get printer's licence.
* During the Ottoman Empire, in 1864 "Basın
Tüzüğü" arranged the activities of journalism.
* In 1867 "Ali Kararname"
gave the goverment to close down the press. The aims of these decrees
were that to prevent the dissemination of ideas across the government by press.
*1.Meşrutiyet(1876)
– First Constitutional Era : included an important improvement regarding freedom of press and
at this era “Kanuni Esasi” whose twentieth article says “ The press is free by
law” got admission.
*1878-1908
– İstibdad Era : - The Turkish press was under pressure extremely.
- Most newspapers’ press was forbidden.
- Newspapers were gathered from the news
agents.
- Most of journalists either were put in
prison or were
relegated.
-Some of the journalits went abroad in order
to
communicate their ideas which they couldn’t tell in
their homeland to public opinion.
* 1908
– Second Constitutional Era : 24 July 1908- There was
no obligation any
more
about checking the newspapers before pressing.
-
There was no censorship on press
anymore but there was still some restriction on press.That means the press
couldn’t be complete free at this era, at İttihad ve Terakki Party Era and
at the first era of Republic.
*1925-March
: Republican Government kept down
the press by the law called
“Takrir-i Sükun” .Especially
the press of İstanbul was influenced by
that strict control.
* “1931 Matbuat (Press) Law”
and “1938-1946 Second World War” : There was still a great strict control on the Turkish Press.
However, “the freedom of press” issue was begun to be discussed among society.
*1946 : “Gazeteciler Cemiyeti”
(Journalists Community), which got active as free, was founded.
*1950 : “Gazetecilik Enstitüsü”
(Journalism Institute) was founded by İstanbul
University in order to educate
conscious journalits.
*1950 : The pressure on the
Turkish Press was decreased considerably
by 5680
numbered “The Press Law”.
*2004 : 5187 numbered “The Press Law” : It serves to freedom of expression, to democracy, to contemporary, independent,
participant society and to person law. According to its Article
3 –
The press is
free. This freedom includes the right to acquire and disseminate information,
and to criticize, interpret and create works.
The exercise of this freedom may be restricted in
accordance with the requirements of a democratic society to protect the
reputation and rights of others as well as public health and public morality,
national security, and public order and public safety; to safeguard the
indivisible integrity of its territory; to prevent crime; to withhold information
duly classified as state secrets; and to ensure the authority and impartial
functioning of the judiciary.
back