Editor-in-chief Fikret Bila writes on Hürriyet’s sale process
ISTANBUL
Hürriyet will celebrate its 70th birthday on May 1. There are not many institutions with such deep roots in Turkey, being almost the same age as the country’s multi-party democracy.
The newspaper thus feels pride at being one of the few media outlets to have witnessed 70 years of the history of the Republic of Turkey.
Aydın Doğan and his family members, who have themselves been involved in the media industry for 40 years, have decided to leave the sector, selling all of their media institutions, including Hürriyet, to businessman Erdoğan Demirören and his family.
The Demirören family and their holding company are not strangers in the media industry. Two of Turkey’s biggest newspapers, Milliyet and Vatan, were sold to Demirören Holding by Doğan Holding back in 2011.
Erdoğan Demirören actually gained experience with extensive knowledge of the media industry through partnerships in newspapers and distribution companies, long before he added Milliyet and Vatan to his group.
I wish all the best for both groups on the decision taken by two families well-established in the Turkish media and business worlds.
Ongoing legal proceedings
The legal proceedings that started after the agreement on the sale was announced are still continuing. Efforts are being made to ensure that this procedural period is as short as possible. We will inform our readers and the public with more details once the takeover is concluded.
Hürriyet is renowned as the flagship of the Turkish media. It deserves this title because of its effectiveness, the universal principles it has brought to the Turkish media, and its innovative, pioneering steps in the media industry. It has a special place in Turkey’s media landscape with its publication mindset strongly adhering to democracy, the fundamental principles of the Republic of Turkey, and the principles of journalism.
Respected in the world
Ever since the old days of traditional visual and printed technology, Hürriyet has been an influential media outlet appealing to every part of society. People from every walk of life have been represented in Hürriyet. This is how it became the most widely read Turkish daily with the largest circulation.
Today, Hürriyet, with its website, sister newspapers and TV channels, remains Turkey’s top mass media organization, maintaining its position in the age of cutting-edge visual and digital technology.
Hürriyet and its affiliates, which broadcast round the clock in several languages, have managed to become among the most respected media organizations in Europe and in the world.
