102 years on, Anadolu Agency makes difference with its renewed vision

By Yildiz Nevin Gundogmus

ANKARA (AA) - Anadolu Agency, which has been providing content to national and international audiences for more than a century, continues to be the source of reliable news in 13 languages, with its offices in 41 countries and representatives in 100 countries.

Established on April 6, 1920 during the War of Independence on the instructions of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkiye, Anadolu Agency has been Turkiye’s voice to the world for 102 years.

Anadolu Agency publishes approximately 3,000 news stories, more than 3,000 photos, eight infographics and 310 videos daily with its more than 3,000 employees from 142 nationalities, and provides services to 6,000 news organizations in 100 countries.

Anadolu Agency, which is among the most influential and respected news agencies in the world, instantly covers the latest developments and breaking news for its subscribers, providing strong visuals and news in 13 languages, including Turkish, English, Arabic, Russian, French, Spanish, Sorani, Persian, Indonesian, Bosnian, Albanian, Macedonian and Kurmanji.

Most of the photos and news published in national newspapers in Turkiye are produced by Anadolu Agency, which also provides an average of 16 daily live broadcasts from 42 points around the world.

- International news agency

On the 102nd anniversary of Anadolu Agency, important steps are being taken to transform it from "Turkiye's news agency" into an "international news agency headquartered in Turkiye".

In order to increase its effectiveness in the international arena, Anadolu Agency has recently increased the number of its international collaborations to 42, offers photo and video content to the world media through partnerships with global news agencies such as Reuters, AFP, Getty Images and DPA.

It also reaches millions of people on social media, through its website and applications prepared for mobile devices and smart watches.

- Strong field reporting

With its reporters’ successful coverage on the field, Anadolu Agency increased its content production by %10.1 in 2021 compared to the previous year, reaching an annual content count of 2.1 million.

Its coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war also demonstrated its strong “field reporting” ability, with its photos and videos being widely used by the leading international media outlets, such as The Guardian, The Times, The Sun, The Independent, and Bild, and TV channels such as CNN and BBC.

Anadolu Agency reporters have been reporting the most critical developments in Ukraine.

- Training

With its News Academy, Anadolu Agency also organizes its practical and theoretical training on media on a variety of areas, including on the latest developments in the news industry, social media, and use of technology in journalism.

Aiming to ensure that those who currently work or want to work in the media industry have the skills of analytical thinking, problem-solving, effective communication, news writing techniques as well as photography and video, Anadolu Agency aims to ensure that the mentorship system is applied in the trainings by its News Academy.

Anadolu Agency News Academy has also been providing journalists with “War Journalism” training, which was so far attended by 439 trainees, with 156 of them from foreign countries.

- Istanbul Photo Awards

Since 2015, Anadolu Agency has also been organizing an international news photography competition, called Istanbul Photo Awards.

Recognized as one of the world’s top photography contests, Istanbul Photo Awards aims to contribute to the sphere of news photography and offers a perspective shaped by the region’s unique position at the center of diverse cultures.

Along with the generous awards of the contest aiming to support the hard work and dedication of news photographers worldwide, the application is totally free.

The 2022 contest, which attracts thousands of applications every year, is supported by Canon, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), and Turkish Airlines.

- New projects: Green Line, Discrimination Line, Fact-Checking Line

Anadolu Agency has this year implemented several new projects, such as the "Green Line", "Fact-Checking Line" and "Discrimination Line".

The Green Line aims to raise social awareness of climate change and environmental issues, the effects of which are becoming increasingly evident. The environment-related news will be served free of charge to subscribers.

The Discrimination Line will report in different languages the increasing discrimination incidents, including those occurred on the basis of race, gender inequality, as well as hate speech, anti-Muslim sentiment, and xenophobia.

The Fact-Checking Line will carry out fact-checking activities, with an aim to contribute to Turkiye’s fight against disinformation. In this context, the accuracy of the news circulating in conventional or social media will be examined and the related data will be shared with the public.