Turkish Cypriot intellectuals under British rule, impressed by the newspapers that were beginning to appear under the innovation and reform of the Ottoman Empire, began to publish their own newspapers in Cyprus.

The first printing house, the Henry King Co, was established in Larnaca in 1878. It published its first newspaper “Kipros/Cyprus”.

The first newspaper published in Ottoman Turkish was “Ümid”, owned by Aleksan Sarrafyan. “Ümid” was published in Larnaca, but was discontinued after a short time.

The first newspaper published by a Turk in Ottoman Turkish was “Saded” in 1889. (11 July – 14 November 1889)

The newspapers published during this period were influenced by the political events on the island and were published by Turkish Cypriot.

In 1891, political club called ‘Osmanlı Kıraathanesi’, published the newspaper “Zaman.” During this period, 24 newspapers were published including “Ümid”, “Saded”, “Zaman”, “Yeni Zaman”, “Kıbrıs”, “İslam”, “Vatan Seyf” and “Kokonoz”.

The attitudes of the British authorities and the political developments in the Ottoman Empire affected the publication of newspapers from time to time, and caused them to take central role in events.

The confrontation between the Ottoman Empire and Britain during First World War in 1914 also affected Cyprus, which was formally annexed by Britain in 1914. The Turkish Cypriot press was subsequently silenced on the island from 1914 to 1919.

“Doğru Yol” newspaper began publication in 1919, and, along with “Söz” and “Vatan” newspapers, wrote mainly about the Turkish War of Independence. In the 1920s, these newspapers closely followed the developments in Türkiye and were published in the new Turkish alphabet, following the lead of “Söz” and “Masum Millet”, which were the first to use the new lettering.

Most of the newspapers published under British rule were censored by the government as a result of precautions taken after the 1931 rebellion. The Turkish Cypriots published 21 newspapers between 1934 and 1958. Some of them were “Haber”, “Ses”, “Vakit”, “Halkın Sesi”, “Yankı”, “İnkılap”, “Hürsöz” and “Ateş”.

After Second World War, the Turkish Cypriot press was affected by the political developments of the British period. Since the 1950s, the Turkish Cypriot press that opposed the Greek Cypriots’ Enonis demand, emerged and the political issues of this era were reflected in the newspapers.

During the tragic events of 1963 and 1974, the Turkish Cypriot press played an important role in bringing the voice of Turkish Cypriots to the world.

Bayrak Radio, which has an important place in the history of the Turkish Cypriot press as a part of the Bayrak Radio and Television Corporation, began broadcasting on 25 December 1963. It was established to serve as the voice of the Turkish Cypriot people, after the exclusion of the Turkish Cypriots from the partnership of the Republic of Cyprus by the Greek Cypriots.

Despite starting in a small garage, using car batteries to power its audio equipment and initial broadcasts, Bayrak Radio increased its capacity to reach the whole island by 1964. As part of the reconstruction process following the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation, Bayrak Radio began its television broadcasting life in 1976. It was renamed as Bayrak Radio and Television on 19 July 1976, and started color television broadcasting on 1 July 1979. After the proclamation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983, the institution gained an autonomous status and became the Bayrak Radio and Television Corporation.

Today, the Turkish Cypriot press continues with daily newspapers “Avrupa”, “Diyalog”, “Güneş”, “Halkın Sesi”, “Kıbrıs”, “Vatan”, “Yeni Bakış”, “Özgür Gazete” and “Yenidüzen”.

In addition to these newspapers, there are many weekly and monthly magazines and newspapers, and also numerous news portals.

TAK (Turkish News Agency), which was founded by Sait Terzioğlu and started its activities on  21 December 1973 with the publication of its first bulletin in order to make the just cause of the Turkish Cypriot people heard to the world, continues its broadcasting as public legal entity in accordance with the principles of accuracy and impartiality guaranteed by law.

The Agency, which was previously able to provide services only to the Turkish Cypriot press, today exchanges services with media organizations in Türkiye, namely Anadolu News Agency, İhlas News Agency and the Azeri Press Agency, within the framework of press cooperation protocols.

The Turkish Cypriot press serves as the voice of the Turkish Cypriots in every period, reflecting the full spectrum of their political views, national perspectives and attitudes.