Anadolu Agency (AA) President Dr. Hilmi Bengi outlined an ambitious growth strategy during an interview recorded at Maltepe University in Istanbul, stating that the state news agency intends to expand into a globally recognized wire service.
Bengi noted that the AA was founded on 6 April 1920 at the direction of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, with an original mandate to supply accurate information to both domestic and international audiences. He said the agency has adhered to that principle of factual reporting across its full history.
The AA chief acknowledged that competition in Türkiye's media landscape intensified after private television channels launched and specialized news services entered the market. He stressed that mastering the latest technology, across text, photography, and video, is essential to staying competitive.
Among the agency's near-term goals, Bengi said the AA plans to double its volume of English-language reporting in 2006. He also described the agency's journalists as committed to independent coverage, saying political authorities do not interfere with editorial operations.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in May 2006, in its own words.