The defendants stand accused of disseminating propaganda for terrorist groups and other terror-related offences after their reports on Berat Albayrak, a son-in-law of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The reports were based on emails reportedly stolen from Albayrak's personal email account by hackers and made available on WikiLeaks. The government has not confirmed their authenticity.
The trial began today at a courthouse in Istanbul. Defendant Derya Okatan, managing editor of Etkin News Agency, accused the government outside the courthouse of trying to hide acts that were "illegitimate, illegal and against the interests of the public.