In our updated media ownership project, we used official and public records to piece together ownership of some privately-owned Turkish Cypriot media outlets.
We identified individuals whose background is relevant for public interest, for example those who held political influence or public office, and those who have interests in non-media sectors.
The trends we previously noticed continue:
A large number of Turkish Cypriot media outlets are owned by Turkish or Turkish Cypriot businessmen with interests in the hotel, casino, and construction industries.
Many media owners are or have served in government posts.
Ownership information in a sector so critical to public interest should be publicly available and easily accessible. Unfortunately, in northern Cyprus, inquiries need to be made physically at the companies registrar as there is no online access. Moreover, many company records are not updated and information about companies with outdated records can only be accessed by lawyers for legal purposes only.
Adding to the challenge is the fact that some media outlets lack ownership transparency, either by not disclosing their owners, or by using shell companies or proxy owners.