ANKA News Agency is rated Left-Center with Mostly Factual factual reporting by Media Bias Fact Check.
LEFT-CENTER BIAS
These media sources have a slight to moderate liberal bias. They often publish factual information that utilizes loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by appeals to emotion or stereotypes) to favor liberal causes. These sources are generally trustworthy for information but may require further investigation. See all Left-Center sources.
- Overall, we rate ANKA News Agency Left-Center Biased based on story selection and framing that moderately favor secular and opposition political perspectives. We also rate them Mostly Factual due to generally credible sourcing, consistent use of official statements, and named sources.
Detailed Report
Bias Rating: LEFT-CENTER (-3.7)
Factual Reporting: MOSTLY FACTUAL (3.6)
Country: Turkey
MBFC’s Country Freedom Rank: LIMITED FREEDOM
Media Type: News Agency
Traffic/Popularity: Medium Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: MEDIUM CREDIBILITY
History
ANKA Haber Ajansı (ANKA News Agency) is a Turkish wire service based in Ankara. It was originally established in 1950 by journalist Kemal Zeki Gençosman as Ankara Ajansı, closed in 1953, relaunched in 1972 by Altan Öymen, who later became chairman of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), and relaunched again in 2019 under general manager Ahmet Dirican. The agency has historically focused on political reporting, parliamentary news, and public affairs coverage in Turkey.
Read our profile on Turkiye’s media and government.
Funded by / Ownership
ANKA Haber Ajansı is owned by Güneşim Medya Yayıncılık AŞ, which is 100% owned by Ali Fırat Atabaş, who also serves as Chairman of the Board. Güneşim Medya additionally owns Kültür Radyo Televizyon (KRT) and İkinci Yüzyıl Gazetecilik. Atabaş has publicly denied claims that CHP advisor Tuncay Özkan holds any ownership or financial stake in the agency. Revenue is generated by subscriptions, syndication services, and advertising.
Analysis / Bias
ANKA Haber Ajansı publishes general news covering Turkish politics, economy, foreign affairs, and local developments. Story selection and framing moderately favor secular, center-left, and opposition perspectives regarding President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the ruling AK Party (AKP). Headlines and reporting frequently emphasize government criticism, economic hardship, concerns about judicial independence, and democratic accountability.
Examples of reporting include critical coverage of the Erdoğan administration’s economic policies, inflation, press-freedom concerns, and opposition-party statements. Articles generally rely on direct quotations, official statements, parliamentary records, and named sources, which support factual reliability. However, the selection of sources and emphasis often favors opposition narratives over pro-government perspectives.
For example, in “CHP lideri Özel’in, ‘Erdoğan pazara gidemez’ çıkışına pazar esnafından destek: Pazara sokmazlar bu fiyatlarla, Erdoğan bu dönem gitti gidecek,” ANKA constructs the story around validating an opposition leader’s political claim, soliciting street interviews from market vendors specifically to confirm CHP leader Özgür Özel’s assertion that President Erdoğan could not visit a public market due to high prices. The selected quotes including a vendor predicting Erdoğan’s imminent exit and calling for early elections function as endorsement of the opposition narrative rather than balanced reporting on cost-of-living concerns.
Similarly, in “Özgür Özel: ‘Basın Özgürlüğü İçin Mücadele Günü’nde gazetecilerin siyasetçiler tarafından tehdit edilmediği günlerin gelmesini ümit ediyorum,'” ANKA dedicates a standalone story to a CHP leader’s Press Freedom Day statement, framing the entire piece through his quote about journalists being threatened by politicians. No government response or counter-perspective is included, and the headline effectively converts an opposition press release into a news event, a common pattern in ANKA’s daily output that amplifies opposition messaging without contextual balance.
Despite its opposition-leaning, center-left bias, ANKA generally adheres to conventional journalistic standards and accurately reports government statements when newsworthy. For example, “President Erdoğan says EU needs Türkiye more than Türkiye needs EU” presents the President’s remarks in a straightforward, neutrally framed manner using his own wording. Within Turkey’s heavily polarized and pressured media environment, ANKA shows more critical and opposition-oriented framing than pro-government outlets like Sabah, A Haber, and Anadolu Ajansı, but remains largely within conventional journalistic norms.
Failed Fact Checks
- None to date
Overall, we rate ANKA News Agency Left-Center Biased based on story selection and framing that moderately favor secular and opposition political perspectives. We also rate them Mostly Factual due to generally credible sourcing, consistent use of official statements and named sources. (M. Huitsing 05/28/2026)
Source: https://www.ankahaber.net/
Last Updated on May 28, 2026 by Media Bias Fact Check
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