The founding editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet was Zekeriya Sertel, a Turkish journalist.^[11] Following the death of Yunus Nadi on 28 March 1945 in Geneva, Switzerland, Cumhuriyet was owned by his eldest son Nadir Nadi Abalıoğlu [tr] until his death on 20 August 1991. Nadir Nadi's wife Berin then published the newspaper. Cumhuriyet has been owned by the Cumhuriyet Foundation since the death of Berin Nadi on 5 November 2001. One of its publishers was the renowned political columnist İlhan Selçuk, who was also chairman of the board of trustees and lead writer (from 1992) until his death in 2010.^{[citation needed]}

Cumhuriyet contributors such as Uğur Mumcu, Bahriye Üçok, Ahmet Taner Kışlalı, Muammer Aksoy, Ümit Kaftancıoğlu, Onat Kutlar, and Cavit Orhan Tütengil were assassinated between the 1970s and 1990s.^{[citation needed]}

During the Gulf War, Cumhuriyet suffered a collapse in advertising revenue, and following an unrelated dispute over editorial policy, nearly 40 journalists and commentators walked out in November 1991: "Circulation fell by half, and it was saved only by an extraordinary campaign by readers to buy extra copies and even pay money into a special account."^[12] Hasan Cemal, chief editor since 1981,^[13] resigned in January 1992 over the dispute: "I tried to widen the spectrum, to keep the balance. But they (old-guard intellectuals) always resisted, calling us plotters, tools of big business and the United States".^[12]

Since 17 October 2005, the newspaper's headquarters have been located in Istanbul's Şişli district, after being the last newspaper to leave the traditional press district of Cağaloğlu. The newspaper also has offices in Ankara and İzmir.^{[citation needed]}

The newspaper's advertisements before the 2007 Turkish presidential election and general election with the message "Are you aware of the danger?" were controversial.^[6][7]

Cumhuriyet's office in Istanbul was the site of a molotov attack in 2008.^[14]

In 2010, the newspaper was one of the first up-market newspapers in Turkey to abandon the established broadsheet format for the midi-sized Berliner format.^[15]

In January 2015, the newspaper reprinted cartoons from Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical magazine which had depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad and been subject to a terror attack. As a result, Cumhuriyet received threats and was placed under police protection.^[16]

In 2015, it was awarded the Freedom of Press Prize by international NGO Reporters Without Borders for making a stand against the AKP government's mounting pressure.^[2]

On 22 September 2016 the newspaper was awarded the Right Livelihood Award for its "fearless investigative reporting and standing up for freedom of speech and opinion despite being subject to death threats, censorship and state prosecution".^[17][1]

In 2016 the newspaper reported on the Panama Papers and in 2017 on the Paradise Papers affairs, linking a number of prominent Turkish figures to those.^[18]

The editor-in-chief of the online edition, Oğuz Güven, was arrested on 12 May 2017 in connection with an article on the "accidental" death of Mustafa Alper, the first public prosecutor to file an indictment about the Gülenist Terror Organization (FETÖ). Güven was released pending trial on 14 June 2017.^[19]

Today, the newspaper is struggling financially due to a low daily circulation figure that has fallen from more than 150,000 in the mid-1990s, in addition to plummeting advertising revenues as companies are not willing to advertise in media critical of the government.^[19]

MİT trucks scandal edit

Following the appointment of new editor-in-chief Can Dündar, the newspaper on 29 May 2015 released detailed footage depicting trucks of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MİT) carrying weapons to Syrian rebels in neighboring Syria. While the government faced calls to resign, an investigation began into Cumhuriyet for releasing the footage.^[20] Turkish President Erdoğan publicly targeted Dündar, stating: "I suppose the person who wrote this as an exclusive report will pay a heavy price for this."^[21]

In spite of the threats, Cumhuriyet published further material on June 11, including photos and videos confirming that MİT trucks transported both weapons and militants between Turkey and various locations in neighboring Syria.^[22] In November, the newspaper was awarded the 2015 Reporters Without Borders Prize for its "independent and courageous journalism."^[23] Shortly thereafter, editor-in-chief Dündar and Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gül were arrested on charges of being members of a terror organization, espionage and revealing confidential documents, facing sentences up to life imprisonment.^[24]

In 1924 Cumhuriyet sold 5,000-10,000 copies.^[25] On 7 May 1998, the newspaper launched its online edition. The print circulation figure was around 40,000 copies in May 2018.^[26]

Supplements of the newspaper:^{[citation needed]}

• Strateji (Strategy), Mondays
• Kitap (Book), Thursdays
• Bilim Teknoloji (Science and Technology), Fridays
• Hafta Sonu (Weekend), Saturdays
• Pazar (Sunday), Sundays
• Gezi (Travel), every other Wednesday
• Tarım (Agriculture), once a month
• Yerel Yönetimler (Local Governments)
• Le Monde diplomatique Türkiye (Le Monde diplomatique Turkey), the first Monday of the month (since February 3, 2020)

• List of newspapers in Turkey
• La Repubblica, a newspaper in Italy with a similar name, format and political alignment
• Turkey's media purge after the failed July 2016 coup d'état

•   Media related to Cumhuriyet at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website   (in Turkish)
• Today's Cumhuriyet front page at the Freedom Forum website