Discussions on Right to Prove in Turkish Press during the Democrat Party Period

“Law on Crimes Committed by Publishing or Radio”, adopted by Democrat Party in 1954, is significant because of the fact that triggering off discussions on right to prove. Discussions on right to prove crystallized the intraparty opposition groups and thus led a division from DP, and also became a common theme for non-party opposition groups after 1954. This study aims to analyse discussions in Turkish press about the law, which has an important place in Turkish political life and also has been considered as one of the repressive practices of the DP for the press. Five dailies, Cumhuriyet, Hürriyet, Milliyet, Yeni Ulus and Zafer, are chosen from the national press for analysis. The study evaluates the news texts and columns for one month period, from 16 February 1954 to 15 March 1954. In the study, “freedom struggle”, “revenge of the past” and “preparation for election” are designated as the themes for evaluation.