Minority Newspapers Struggle

The Press Advertising Association took minority newspapers on its agenda after the news had spread that the Greek newspaper Apoyevmatini was going to shut down. Apoyevmatini has been published in Istanbul for 86 years. Now the results of the association's meetings on aid for minority newspapers were announced.

The Press Advertising Association was established as a tool for the publication of formal advertising of public institutions and organizations.

The proposal for support by the association for newspapers published by the Armenian, Greek and Jewish societies in Turkey was accepted. It was indicated that the most effective support for minority newspapers was the publication of formal advertising. However, the association emphasized that there were legal obstacles before this. First of all, Decision No.67 of the General Assembly related to formal advertising would have to undergo necessary changes, the association concluded.

The Press Advertising Association decided for financial help for the minority newspapers "until Decision No.67 of the General Assembly will be changed fundamentally". Hence, the newspapers will receive financial support of TL 250,000 (€ 120,000) from the "Fund for Various Tasks". The money will be paid to the minority newspapers in line with certain criteria to be defined by the administrative board of the association.

"We appreciate the decision but it is insufficient"

Mihail Vasiliadis, owner of the Apoyevmatini newspaper, appreciated the financial support but noted that this sum was not enough to provide continuity. "It helps but is not sufficient to provide employment. The amount merely serves as a base so the newspaper does not have to be closed. Further efforts are needed to find the rest [of the money]".

Vasiliadis evaluated the financial aid he is going to receive and explained that he spent TL 20,000 (€ 9,000) from his own money on top of the newspaper's budget since the beginning of the year. He noted that he was going to make a loss of € 150 on every day the paper would be printed until the end of the year. According to Vasiliadis, the anticipated financial support will be used to pay this new debt.

Vasiliadis underlined "continuity" as one of the crucial points. "This newspaper has to provide a minimum income to the person who is going to take it over in the future. Otherwise, why should my son take over when he will not be able to sustain his family?"

"Our problems might not be solved but this is a good support for us", Vasiliadis said and indicated his appreciation for the decision. He also reminded that legal amendments were necessary in order to be able to publish formal advertisements.

Legal obstacles

Legal regulations are the basic reason for not being able to publish formal advertisement in Apoyevmatini and other minority newspapers. The papers must comply with the related regulations so that the Press Advertising Association can publish announcements. According to these regulations, the newspapers must be published on a daily basis, comprise a minimum of eight pages and a circulation of 5,000 copies at least besides employing at least seven people.

The Press Advertising Association is worried about possible abuse once the regulations will have been changed. The President of the Press Advertising Association Istanbul Branch, Mehmet Köşker, said in an interview with bianet last month, "Let's say we changed the regulations in order to support the newspapers in this difficult situation. What are we going to do if 50 people with a one-page 'newspaper' come up then? Therefore, we have to include certain criteria such as the duration the newspaper has been published already".

Along with the Greek Apoyevmatini newspaper, another five newspapers will benefit from the financial support, i.e. the Greek newspaper İho, the pre-dominantly Armenian newspapers Jamanak, Marmara and Agos and the Şalom newspaper published by Turkish Jews. (YY/VK)