An analysis of the press laws in the Democrat Party era

In the aftermath of the Second World War, Türkiye underwent significant social and political transformations as it transitioned to a multi-party system. In 1946, Celal Bayar, Adnan Menderes, Fuad Köprülü, and Refik Koraltan, having broken away from the Republican People's Party, founded the Democrat Party. It is observed that the Democrat Party, which came to power in 1950, received significant support by emphasizing press freedom and granting legal rights to media workers. Although initially a broad freedom was granted to the press, efforts to control the media were observed over time. Notably, the Democrat Party, which displayed a harsh attitude towards opposition newspapers, was seen to establish its biased press. As the years progressed, this diversification also brought along the phenomenon of sponsored media. Although numerous studies have focused on the 50s, there are limited evaluations of the Democrat Party era through press laws. For this purpose, this thesis examines the relationship between the government and the press in Türkiye between 1950 and 1960 in the context of press laws, state structure, and domestic and foreign policy processes. The study intends to examine the local and international developments and their reflections in the press laws of the period. The period during which the Democrat Party remained in office is examined regarding press laws. This thesis aims to address the changes that the Democrat Party underwent between 1950 and 1960 and the effects of these changes on the press laws and their amendments.