Riga/14.11.19/Turan: The Azerbaijani authorities began to understand the need to revise the information policy, said one of the speakers of the media conference of the Eastern Partnership countries held in Riga, Michael Randol, the head of the Ecorys Consirtium research group in his interview to Turan.
“My colleagues recently often say that the Azerbaijani authorities began to understand that it is impossible to pursue an information policy like this. The authorities are aware that despite the financing of the main television channels, the population does not watch them and many switched to Turkish and Russian TVs.
"I read that 70% of the population prefers to receive news from external sources. This is a serious problem for the state, which allocates large finances to the media and TV," said Randol.
Azerbaijan has a media support fund that is not available in other countries, and it mainly finances print media that are supported by the authorities. The advertising market in the country is very small and in no way comparable to the country's GDP. “There are countries with lower GDP and a much larger advertising market than in Azerbaijan,” Randol further noted.
The expert believes that the international community, donors should participate in the process of expanding the horizons of the Azerbaijani media even within the framework of the established restrictions.
"We know that some critical websites are blocked, editors are called to the prosecutor’s office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs for critical materials. The international community is not doing enough to promote the values of free media in Azerbaijan. Nobody wants to conflict with the Azerbaijani authorities, but we can talk about problems. This concerns both the European Commission and embassies, international organizations and donors. By raising these issues, we can show the Azerbaijani authorities their position and point out solutions to problems constructively; and prove that the international community is not simply observer," he concluded. –71B--
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