Anadolu Agency, Turkey’s official newswire, was established in 1920 amidst the Turkish War of Independence. With its headquarters in the capital city of Ankara, Anadolu delivers a wide range of services, including wire news, photos, graphics, and video content.
Media assets
News agency: Anadolu
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
Anadolu Agency, a joint-stock company, was established by the Turkish state and is currently under the ownership of the Undersecretariat of Treasury. However, with the ascent of the AKP to power, both the agency and the public broadcaster TRT have faced escalating political pressures.
A 2019 presidential decree further positioned the Anadolu Agency under the Directorate of Communications, a department directly managed by the Presidency. This decree not only grants the Presidency full auditing powers over the agency but also confers upon it the authority to appoint the agency’s management and oversee its operations, including budget and staffing decisions.
Source of funding and budget
Most of Anadolu Agency’s budget is sourced from state subsidies, as reported by local journalists and experts interviewed for this report in March 2023 and May 2024.
Editorial independence
Anadolu Agency has traditionally been viewed and functioned as an official pro-government news agency. However, its coverage has shown an escalating bias towards the government in recent years, particularly towards the Presidency. The operational changes implemented by the President in 2019 further intertwined the agency with the Presidency, thereby solidifying the president’s control over the agency’s editorial content.
Local journalists interviewed for this report in March 2023 and May 2024 indicate that Fahrettin Altun, the head of the Communications Directorate in the presidential administration, holds more sway over Anadolu’s editorial affairs than the agency’s director general. This directorate now directly manages Anadolu. Altun frequently expresses his vision of a “native and national” culture in Turkey, which aligns strongly with the AKP’s future vision for the country. Anadolu’s director, Senol Kazanci, who served as an adviser to President Erdogan for three years until December 2014, was appointed by the Presidency. An examination of the news content published by Anadolu reveals a pronounced bias in its political coverage. The agency openly lauds the country’s government while simultaneously criticizing foreign entities and governments that express disapproval of the Turkish government.
There is no existing statute that guarantees the outlet’s independence. The agency adheres to a set of editorial guidelines, specifically for broadcasting extreme events such as terrorist attacks or natural disasters. However, these guidelines do not pertain to nor ensure the agency’s overall editorial independence.
During the most recent research phase for this report, no independent assessment or oversight mechanism was identified that could confirm the editorial independence of the outlet.
August 2024