An open letter to protest Google's ‘destructive’ algorithm for independent news outlets in Turkey

Turkish independent news media outlets have penned an open letter and warned that Google's algorithm changes were blocking the public's access to news, leading to revenue losses.

Thursday March 13 2025 10:04 pm

The open letter, to which Gazete Duvar also contributed, is as follows:

As independent media outlets in Turkey, we are once again faced with Google's embargo on our reader traffic and its devastating consequences. We would like to emphasize that it is vital that the entire public, especially our readers, realize the seriousness of the situation.

After an embargo that first appeared in Oct. 2024 and lasted for about a month, the traffic flow directed to news websites dramatically decreased again at the end of Jan. 2025. In one day, 98 percent of the reader traffic directed through Google's 'Explore' and 'News' tools was eliminated for a large number of news sites, dominated by independent media organizations.

Despite all our attempts, we have not been able to establish a healthy and continuous interlocutor relationship with Google in response to these sudden and massive traffic losses, which have no reasonable explanation, including the algorithm change.

We would like to emphasize that Google's traffic flow changes, which are made without any control and solely in line with its own needs, not only affect the visibility of media organizations.

This 'new' online news ecosystem, in which the majority of those ignored by Google are independent media organizations, also makes it harder for the public to access news.

In the long run, this situation risks irreversibly damaging the financial structures of media organizations that are already struggling with many pressures.

The closure of Gazete Duvar, whose signature should have been included in the text, on the very day we prepared the statement you are reading, reveals just how real the danger we are trying to draw attention to is.

For these reasons, as independent media outlets in Turkey, we announce that we will pursue our corporate rights, the labor of our employees, and the support of our readers on every platform.

We declare that we will continue this struggle with our applications to both local and international legal authorities, especially Turkey’s Competition Authority, and that we will be a persistent follower of this destruction caused by Google in our country as well as in the whole world.

We also call on the relevant state institutions in Turkey to take the necessary measures, to prevent Google or other technology monopolies from targeting the public's right to information and independent journalism, to implement regulations to strengthen local media, and to keep the channels of exchange open without discriminating between media institutions.

We also have a call for advertisers who produce in Turkey and earn in Turkey:

You spend a significant portion of your income on internet ads to reach consumers and be visible. However, this investment does not reach its target as news websites, which are one of the most important meeting points with consumers, lose up to 90 percent of their readers due to the Google embargo. We invite you to direct your ads directly to media outlets in Turkey until Google and other technology companies give up their stance and establish a transparent and legally guaranteed order.

Our last call is to our readers:

The crisis of independent media is a crisis for all citizens who want to receive news freely. More than that, it is a crisis of democracy.

Read the news on the internet not through Google, but directly on the websites you are a reader of, and support the independent media by breaking this secret embargo!

If you have the means, contribute to the media outlets you follow by subscribing or making donations.

We can overcome these days only with the support and solidarity of you, our readers.

Sincerely...

Artı Gerçek

BirGün

Diken

Ekonomim

Gazete Pencere

ilketv.com.tr

Kısa Dalga

Medyascope

T24