Eight independent online news outlets in Turkey have issued an open letter protesting Google’s algorithm changes, which they say have drastically reduced their reader traffic and put their financial sustainability at risk.
The open letter, signed by digital news outlets Artı Gerçek, BirGün, Diken, Ekonomim, Gazete Pencere, Kısa Dalga, Medyascope and T24 comes one day after another independent news website, Gazete Duvar, announced that it is ending its operations due to economic problems caused primarily by Google algorithm changes.
“As independent media organizations operating in Turkey, we once again find ourselves confronting Google’s embargo on our reader traffic and its devastating consequences,” the outlets said in their statement, while calling for public awareness about the “seriousness of this situation.”
Since last year some Turkish media outlets have been accusing Google of indirectly censoring independent news organizations through algorithm adjustments that have significantly reduced visibility, with some experiencing traffic losses of more than 90 percent. They say the decline in visitor numbers has deprived these organizations of significant revenue, causing them to suffer financially.
Reader traffic dropped by 98 percent
The outlets said in their letter that the flow of traffic to news websites, which was first disrupted in October 2024 due to an “embargo” that lasted about a month, has been in effect again since late January.
They said this situation has led to nearly 98 percent of reader traffic directed via Google’s “Discover” and “News” features to disappear overnight for numerous news websites, mainly affecting independent media organizations that many Turks rely on to access news.
They complained about the lack of any effective communication with Google, saying that there is no reasonable explanation for the sudden and massive traffic losses they suffered.
The digital outlets said Google’s unregulated changes to traffic distribution, which they said is based entirely on its own priorities, do more than just reduce the visibility of media organizations.
According to the outlets, these changes not only make it harder for the public to access news but also severely affect the financial stability of media institutions, already struggling under multiple pressures, due to a loss of advertisement revenue.
“The crisis facing independent media is a crisis for all citizens who want free access to information. More than that, it is a crisis for democracy.”
These media outlets operate in a climate of growing pressure and censorship on independent media in Turkey where, according to the Reporters without Borders, 90 percent of the media is under the control of the government.
Turkish authorities have in the last few years imposed restrictions on websites, social media accounts and posts covering news stories critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP), which has led to accusations that freedom of expression has been curtailed.
Call to readers
The outlets called on their readers to visit their preferred news websites directly instead of relying on Google to access news so that they can “bypass this hidden embargo and support independent journalism.”
They also asked for donations from their readers or to subscribe to the outlets.
“We can only overcome these challenges through your support and solidarity,” the outlets added.
Google denies targeting independent media
In an exclusive interview with the T24 news website, Danny Sullivan, an adviser at the search division of Google, said that Google’s updates are not intended to target independent news sites. He said that algorithm changes are implemented on a global scale and can sometimes have unforeseen consequences, adding that after these changes, the company reviews the outcomes and works to improve the process.
Sullivan noted that there could be multiple reasons behind the decline in reader traffic for independent news outlets in Turkey. He suggested that either the system ranks content based on various signals and that these platforms may not meet some of those criteria, or the system may not be functioning efficiently enough to reward their content as much as it deserves.
The deterioration of internet freedoms in Turkey was also documented in a 2024 report published by the US-based Freedom House, which showed Turkey ranking the lowest-scoring country in Europe for online freedoms and again ranking among the “not free” countries concerning online freedoms.
Turkey had a score of 31 in a 100-point index, with scores based on a scale of 0 (least free) to 100 (most free). The other two lowest-scoring countries in Europe were Hungary, with a score of 69, and Serbia with 70.