Anadolu Agency (Turkish: Anadolu Ajansı, lit. 'Anatolia Agency'; abbreviated AA) is a state-run[1][2] news agency headquartered in Ankara, Turkey.[3]
 | |
| Company type | Joint-stock company |
|---|---|
| Industry | News agency |
| Founded | 6 April 1920; 104 years ago (1920-04-06) |
| Founders | Mustafa Kemal Pasha Halide Edib Yunus Nadi Abalıoğlu |
| Headquarters | Çankaya, Ankara, Turkey |
Key people | Serdar Karagöz (Director-General, Chairman of the Board) |
Number of employees | 3,800 |
| Website | aa.com.tr |
The Anadolu Agency was founded in 1920 during the Turkish War of Independence by the order of Mustafa Kemal Pasha. As the Empire's capital – Constantinople – was under the Ottoman sultans' control, all newspapers were also under the sultan's rule along with British occupiers, and it was necessary for the revolutionary government to establish a communication and news network for Anatolia and Rumelia.[4] Journalist Yunus Nadi Abalıoğlu and writer Halide Edip, fleeing the occupied capital, met in Geyve and concluded that a new Turkish press agency was needed. The agency was officially launched on April 6, 1920, 17 days before the Turkish Grand National Assembly convened for the first time. It announced the first legislation passed by the Assembly, which established the Republic of Turkey.[5]
After the Justice and Development Party (AKP) took power, AA and the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) were both restructured to more closely reflect the administration line. According to a 2016 academic article, "these public news producers, especially during the most recent term of the AKP government, have been controlled by officials from a small network close to the party leadership."[6]
Anadolu Agency is an active member of the European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA).[7]
