Issues that Local Press Encountered In the Digital Communications Age

One of the most important income sources of regularly published local newspapers is official announcements. The prerequisite for receiving these official announcements distributed in the body of the Press Advertisement Authority is that the newspapers are pressed, ie printed. The rates of connecting to the internet both from the home and by the mobile are increasing day by day in Turkey. According to data of Turkey Statistical Institute, the proportion of households with broadband Internet access in April 2017 was determined to be 78.3%. Looking at this ratio, it is seen that today digital communication has improved so much that it can not be compared with other counterparts. This digitalization process, which is also evident in the field of journalism, allows local newspapers to be moved to the internet environment. The high cost of printing and distribution activities makes the internet environment extremely attractive for local journalists. However, many local newspapers cannot give up publishing in print in order not to lose the income of the official announcements. Today, while well-known newspapers of mainstream press tend to give up paper printing and go to digital, it’s an issue to be scrutinized that the local press of the low income is confined to the official announcements. Nonetheless, the fake newspapers, which appear both in print and on the internet environment near to general and local elections and publishes to get a share of political advertisements, are another problem that the local press must struggle with. It is necessary to take precautions against the unfair competition which these fake newspapers have caused by the Press Advertisement Authority and professional organizations. This notice intends to explain these two problems that the local press has encountered in the digitalized communication environment. The said explanations will also include suggestions for solutions to the problems and the precautions to be taken