Turkey marked Jan. 10 as Working Journalists' Day on Thursday with many events across the country.
"The complete, impartial and correct informing of the public and the protection of our citizens' right to obtain news have vital importance from the angle of the functionality of our democracy," President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a statement on Twitter.
He said he hopes Turkish media will realize its duty of informing correctly in the best way and contribute to democracy by taking into consideration the professional ethics and sensitivities of the nation.
He also wished God's mercy upon the journalists who died while carrying out their duties.
First lady Emine Erdoğan also congratulated all media workers on her Instagram account.
She said journalists work in difficult conditions in every part of the world in order to realize their duty of making correct, impartial, real and ethical journalism.
"From cameramen to reporters, from photographers to editors, all workers of media open windows of the worlds which we cannot reach. I thank all of them from the heart," Erdoğan said.
Parliamentary Speaker Binali Yıldırım held a breakfast with parliamentary reporters on Thursday morning to honor their work.
Across the country, provincial mayors honored media workers in their regions with meals and other events.
