Vugar Aliyev committed to strengthening the responsibility of Internet resources

The conference "Emerging of media and new challenges" organized by the Press Council and the Center "Multimedia was held on May 27 at the International Center of the press.

According to chief of department of the presidential administration Vugar Aliyev , in the country there are about 4.5 thousand media, 300 of which are Internet resources.

About 1.3 million people or 12.4 % of the population are users of Facebook, and hundreds of thousands of young people are active users of Twitter and other social networks.

Aliyev admitted that the virtual resources are not less than other media in the influence on the socio-political processes.

"At the same time, they fall out of legal liability because the law on the media applies to "periodic printed publications, TV and radio programs and other forms of newsreel proliferation."

Nevertheless, there is a growing number of citizens' complaints of network hooligans “insulting celebrities and officials," and in this sense sites and portals are far ahead of traditional publications.

 According to him, the situation is exacerbated by the fact that most Internet servers, publications, as well as the authors of some of them are abroad, write under assumed names, and use false accounts, complained the representative of the presidential administration.

According to the Chairman of the Press Council of Internet resources Elnur Baimov, in Azerbaijan there are 200 regularly updated information sites and portals. They account for 3.5 million annually manat or 15 % of total advertising. However, most sites do not produce specific content, preferring to copy other materials. It repels advertisers who prefer to pay for the source, he said.

However, the speakers did not mention that, according to the international organization Freedom House on May 1, 2014, the rating of Azerbaijan freedom of speech is being increasingly degraded, and the country ranks 183 among 193 countries.

 The media advertising market is limited. According to international practice, this market should reach 1% of GDP. In the case of Azerbaijan, it is 570 million ($ 730 million), but in reality, the advertising market is 42 million manat. This is 13.5 times less than the standard.

   Of these, the opposition and the independent media receive minuscule allocated under the state support. However, independent and opposition media are denied this assistance on frivolous pretexts.

 The overwhelming majority of the media positioned as independent is controlled by the government and is funded through business structures close to the government either legally or through advertising.

There is no independent television or radio.

In the last period, the already repressive media sphere experienced further decline due to increased government control of the Internet and telephone correspondence of journalists and bloggers; blocking sites; government intervention in the satellite broadcasting radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty.

Downgrading freedom of speech is also influenced by the government attempts to control the news by putting pressure on journalists, imposition of restrictions, tightened restrictions on the Internet and social media.

According to the conclusions of Freedom House, an improvement of the situation in the country depends on three factors: the actual creation of independent private radio and television companies; political pluralism in the online media, social media, and improve legal protection for the press. -17D-