Anadolu Newspaper Turkey Set up on April 6, 1920 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk during the Turkish War of Independence, Anadolu Agency or AA (Anadolu Ajansı in Turkish) is the biggest news agency of Turkey.
The Anadolu Agency has completed its restructuring process with a new institutional identity, according to the motto ‘reliable, impartial, ethical, fast’ journalism in line with the recent developments in the media industry. Broadcasting in five languages which are Turkish, English, Bosniak language, Arabic and Russian, AA has set its most important goal in the Centennial Vision as becoming one of the “five most influential news agencies of the world” by 2020.
Anadolu Agency actively cooperates with and receives news items from international news agencies such as the Associated Press (United States), AFP (France), DPA (Germany), EFE (Spain), ANSA (Italy), XINHUA (People’s Republic of China) as well as with 100 state-run news agencies from all around the world. These news items are offered to the media in Turkey and AA reports developments in Turkey to the news agencies its cooperates with.
Anadolu Agency holds the rotating presidency of the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) since 2010. AA is also among the founding members of the European Alliance of News Agencies, Alliance of Mediterranean News Agencies, Alliance of News Agencies of the Turkic Speaking Countries and the Association of the Balkan News Agencies-Southeast Europe.
Following visits by Anadolu Agency executives in Spring 2012, AA also decided to engage in cooperation with United Arab Emirates National Media Council, Emirates News Agency, Al Jazeera TV network, Qatar News Agency and Kuwait News Agency.
Anadolu Agency established News Academy in 2012 to train new generation journalists under the umbrella of the Agency. AA aims to train qualified trainee reporters, reporters, chief reporters, photo journalists, cameramen in a professional way by considering technological developments.
Students who have been elected among many candidates, receive 376 hours of theoretical training and 224 hours of practical training for four months. They are getting prepared for the profession by receiving basic journalism education on writing news reports, special reports, interviews, taking, processing and transmitting photos.
The academy also give training to personnel of press organisations such as newspapers and televisions through General Media Program. News Agency Journalism, Finance Journalism and War Journalism are among other programs.
Anadolu Agency train war reporters. Under this program, workers at media organisations are given lessons on surviving under extraordinary circumstances and battle fields as well as sending news reports, photos and footage to news centers.
Education is given under 28 chapters and last for 82 hours including 42 hours of practice in the field. 25 people attend training program that last for 11 days. Educators of Turkish Armed Forces will give lessons on war law, war theory and terminology, chemical and biological attacks, operations at sea and in the air, route setting and map reading.
The history of the Anadolu Agency (AA) is almost identical to that of the Republic of Turkey. Having been founded on April 6, 1920, 17 days before the Turkish Grand National Assembly convened first time, the Anadolu Agency helped announce the first legislation by the Assembly that established the Republic. Anadolu Agency witnessed all stages of the National Struggle, the War of Liberation and reforms of the Republic.
After Istanbul came under occupation on March 16, 1920 and the Ottoman parliament was annulled, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk called on all provinces to hold elections for a new parliament to be established in Ankara. Several intellectuals, who realized that they could not stay in Istanbul any longer, tried to join the National Struggle. This development paved the way for foundation of the Anadolu Agency.
Those intellectuals left Istanbul for Ankara in two convoys. Journalist Yunus Nadi (Abalioglu) and writer Halide Edip (Adivar) met in Geyve on March 31. During their meeting at the train station, they decided that it was necessary to establish “an agency organization” in Ankara as soon as possible. They agreed to name the agency as “Anadolu Agency”.
It was proposed to establish the Anadolu Agency at the “School of Agriculture” which also housed Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s headquarters. On April 6, 1920, the Anadolu Agency was founded.
The Anadolu Agency carried out a difficult task during the War of Liberation. It informed the people of the country in war who did not know what was going on in the rest of the world. It also struggled against submissive attitude of some foreign and Turkish newspapers in Istanbul. The newly founded agency also had to defend the National Struggle in the world, inform the world public opinion on Turkey’s rightful demands and act carefully against tricks of some circles.
After Ataturk assigned some of his closest friends to turn the Anadolu Agency into a Western news agency, the Anadolu Agency Corporation was established on March 1, 1925. The Anadolu Agency acquired an autonomous status with an unexampled organizational chart even in the Western countries in those days.
