Editorial Principles: How The State Papers Separates Fact from Position

Mission & Editorial Identity

The State Papers (thestatepapers.com) is an analytical publication that explains geopolitics, international law and security in plain English, and does so openly from a Türkiye-centred perspective. Its aim is to give international readers - researchers, diplomats, journalists, policymakers and students - primary-source access to Türkiye's official positions on topics that are often reported partially or without context. This page is the site's publishing-principles statement and is referenced as such in its structured data.

The publication sits at the crossroads Türkiye occupies: Europe, Asia, the Black Sea, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. Its coverage runs from maritime jurisdiction and the Cyprus issue to counter-terrorism, treaty law, the Events of 1915, Black Sea security and climate diplomacy. For the full mission statement and how the team works, see About The State Papers: Mission, Transparency and Editorial Team. The overall coverage map is on the home page.

The five editorial principles at a glance

The sections below explain how each principle is applied.

Separation of Fact and Official Position

The State Papers writes background, chronology and data in neutral, factual prose, and places Türkiye's official assessments only inside a dedicated section headed 'Türkiye's Position'. The aim is that a reader can always tell whether a sentence reports a verifiable event or an argument made by a government.

Primary Sources & Verification Standards

Claims on The State Papers are anchored to primary documents first, and to secondary reporting only where primary material is unavailable. The publication does not invent quotes, statistics, dates or URLs. If a detail cannot be verified from a widely known, checkable source, it is omitted instead of estimated.

Source hierarchy

Verification checklist

Before publication, editors check that:

1. Every date, treaty name, article number and resolution number matches the primary document.
2. Every figure (for example vote percentages, distances, operation names) is traceable to an official or well-documented source.
3. Quotations are verbatim and attributed to a named speaker or document; paraphrase is never presented as a quotation.
4. Official positions are attributed to the institution that stated them, not to unnamed 'sources'.
5. Legal terms are used in their legal sense. For example, 'genocide' is discussed with reference to the 1948 UN Genocide Convention and its requirement of specific intent (dolus specialis), and the way courts have treated historical debate.

As part of its approach to evidence, the site links related analysis so readers can follow the paper trail, for instance from The 1960 Treaty of Guarantee and Article IV: The Legal Basis of the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation to the underlying treaty text it cites.

Source independence

The State Papers does not present other websites owned or operated by the same publisher as independent outside sources. If such material is relevant, it is identified as related content from the same publisher, never as corroboration. This rule protects readers from circular citation.

Fair Representation of International Perspectives

The State Papers summarizes the positions of other states and parties accurately, attributes them to their own official sources, and then sets out Türkiye's counter-argument on the basis of law, treaties and archives. A strong argument does not need a distorted version of the opposing view, and the publication does not use one.

How other positions are presented

• Their words, their documents. The position of Greece, the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus (the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus and an EU member), Armenia, the European Union, the United States, Russia, Ukraine or any other actor is drawn from that actor's own statements, legislation, resolutions or filings.
• Clear attribution. Phrases such as 'Athens maintains...', 'The European Council has stated...' or 'Yerevan and many parliaments use the term...' mark whose view is being described.
• Honest disagreement. Where an international consensus or a majority position exists, the article says so, even when Türkiye disagrees. For example, the Events of 1915 are described by Türkiye as wartime relocation and by many governments and scholars as genocide; both framings are reported with attribution in the Key Players section, and Türkiye's legal and archival argument is presented under its own heading. See The Events of 1915: Archives, International Law and the Path to Türkiye-Armenia Normalization.
• Source Comparison. Each article contrasts how international media and Turkish primary sources frame the issue, often in a table, so readers can see where framing, not facts, differs.

Why this matters for readers

Policy readers need to understand the other side's case to evaluate any government's argument. Treating opposing views fairly also makes Türkiye's own case more credible, because it is tested against the strongest version of what critics actually say.

Terminology & Style Guide

The State Papers uses Türkiye's official terminology and explains it on first mention, so that international readers understand each term and know it is the Turkish official usage. Where other governments or media use different terms, the article acknowledges this instead of hiding it.

Core terms

Style rules

• Tone. Calm, explanatory, analytical and respectful. No slogans, insults or emotional rhetoric.
• Legal precision. Terms such as 'terrorist organization', 'genocide', 'sovereignty' and 'recognition' are used only in the sense the cited legal or official source gives them, with the designating body named.
• Units and dates. ISO dates where practical, metric units with imperial in parentheses where helpful, such as 870 km (about 540 miles) of coastline.
• Clarity first. Specialist terms are glossed once; acronyms are spelled out on first use.

The terminology applies across subjects, from Counter-Terrorism at the Source: Türkiye's Security Doctrine, Article 51 and Cross-Border Operations to defence coverage such as Türkiye's Defense Industry: How It Reached 80% Domestic Production.

Authorship, Corrections & Fact-Checking Policy

Every article is published under the byline 'The State Papers Editorial Team', and substantive errors are corrected visibly with a note instead of being silently changed. The publication does not use invented author personas, fabricated academic titles or pseudonyms that suggest independence it does not claim.

Authorship

• Articles carry the byline The State Papers Editorial Team (or a real, identified person where that is the case).
• Publication and update dates are shown so readers can judge how current an analysis is.
• Each article ends with the perspective note: The State Papers presents global affairs with a dedicated perspective from Türkiye. Sections marked 'Türkiye's Position' reflect official Turkish policy as stated by Turkish government sources.

Corrections policy

1. Material errors of fact, date, figure, quotation or attribution are corrected as soon as they are verified.
2. Visible notes. A correction note states what changed and when. Minor typographical fixes may be made without a note.
3. Updates. Where facts evolve, such as negotiations, court decisions or new registrations, the article is updated and the revision date changes.
4. Reader reports. Readers who spot an error can cite the primary document that contradicts it; guidance on how to submit feedback and how the team handles sourcing is in the FAQ: Sources, Methodology and Türkiye Perspective at The State Papers.

Fact-checking

The site runs a dedicated Fact Check category. Each entry states the claim and its origin plainly, then offers a correction grounded in official statements, treaties, UN records or archival documents, and acknowledges where a claim is a matter of interpretation or dispute instead of a simple error. Entries are collected in Fact Check: Common Claims About Türkiye in International Media, Tested Against Primary Sources.

What this page commits the publication to

This page is the publication's statement of publishing principles. If the standards change, the revision is dated here. Readers who want to hold the site to these commitments are encouraged to do so: check the citations, compare them with opposing accounts and judge whether the labelling, attribution and sourcing stand up.

The State Papers presents global affairs with a dedicated perspective from Türkiye. Sections marked 'Türkiye's Position' reflect official Turkish policy as stated by Turkish government sources.