ANKARA (A.A) - 05.04.2002 - Anadolu Agency (A.A) which will celebrate its 82nd birthday on April 6, 1920, has started its journey in journalism sector under fire to tell the truths about the National Struggle to both Anatolian people and the world.
STORY OF FOUNDATION
Two groups which left Istanbul five days after the city was occupied by Allied Forces in 16 March 1920, met in Geyve township on March 31. Yunus Nadi (Abalioglu) and Halide Edip (Adivar) were among the members of those two groups. These two intellectuals had discussed ''setting up a news agency as soon as they arrived in Ankara'' when they stopped for a rest. They also discussed a name for the agency, and chose ''Anadolu Agency'' among alternatives such as ''Turk'', ''Ankara'' and ''Anadolu''.
The convoy had reached Ankara in April 1, 1920. At the ''School of Agriculture'', the headquarters of Mustafa Kemal Pasha, the setting up of Anadolu Agency was brought onto the agenda in the talks following a dinner on April 4 or April 5.
Next morning, Anadolu Agency was set up in the School of Agriculture, the headquarters of Mustafa Kemal Pasha.
Mustafa Kemal sent a historical circular to whole country, introducing Anadolu Agency. In the circular, he was also underlining the importance of making their struggle be heard inside and outside the country. The circular emphasized not the information, but the most accurate version of information. What Mustafa Kemal was underlining when he said ''information Anadolu Agency would convey with fastest methods, was the main universal principle which the news agencies had to obey; ie, the obligation of conveying ''accurate and objective'' information ''rapidly''.
The A.A continued its activities that started in a room at the School of Agriculture, in the basement of a teachers' school in Ankara's Ulus district. Later, it moved to a two-storey building in Samanpazari. The A.A started publishing local and foreign news using a typewriter which Mustafa Kemal promised to get for Halide Edip from the Osmanli Bank. The news stories were published under the title of ''Anadolu Agency Statement''.
The A.A issued its first bulletin on April 12, 1920.
The first bulletin which can be considered as ''a call to Anatolian people'' was as follows: ''The A.A which was founded to provide the most accurate news and information to our people in a period when Anatolia and Rumeli had taken action under the determination of the Protection of Law after our state's center was occupied by enemies, has started its mission as of today. It is not needed to explain that as many people as possible should read and learn these news and information. We ask you all to assist us by setting up special organizations to write our news and information on black boards at the doors of post offices, to publish and distribute them where it is possible, and to send them to all townships and villages. Following this introduction, today's news are as follows: ...''
In the bulletin, brief information was given about the latest political developments in different parts of the world.
NOT TRANSFERRING A.A BULLETINS IS A TREASON
In a circular he sent to the Anadolu Telegram Center on April 18, 1920, Ataturk remarked that there were a number of complaints stating that the center was not transferring the A.A's bulletins to certain places. He said failure to transfer the A.A's bulletins could be considered ''treason.''
INONU'S SPEECH ON THE OCCASION OF 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF FOUNDATION
Ismet Inonu, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's brother in arm, and the second President of Republic of Turkey, delivered a speech on the occasion of 50th anniversary of foundation of the A.A.
Inonu said, ''we were so proud in those days that we had an agency and we could herald our voice to the world. We did not even know whether or not these news stories could be sent abroad. News stories were sent to Istanbul secretly. Within the structure of the parliament, the A.A was possibly the institution working under heaviest conditions. But its works were very beneficial.''
Two months after foundation of the A.A, the four-article law of the Directorate General of Press and Information was adopted on June 7, 1920. The fourth Article of the Law, showed ''director of the A.A'' in the staff list of this directorate general. In another law adopted on December 25, 1920, the directorate general of press was connected to the Foreign Ministry.
The withdrawal of government from the A.A and its transformation into a company was brought onto agenda during the debates on budget law for the year 1924. On March 1, 1925, the Anadolu Agency Turkish Corporation was founded.