SUCCESSION OF NON-EXISTING JOURNALISM

Azerbaijan"s President Ilham Aliyev decided to celebrate 135th national jubilee of the national press.

Azerbaijan"s President Ilham Aliyev decided to celebrate 135th national jubilee of the national press. He signed a decree and ordered to celebrate the date. President"s instruction was motivated by the will to demonstrate succession of traditions of progressive press, to show the care of the state about mass media, and to hear the admission of journalists for the care ad the attention of Yeni Azerbaijan party and the government. But it is impossible to speak about the succession between the enlightened Azerbaijani journalism hundred years ago and modern demoralized and degraded journalism in the beginning of 21st century. President wants Azerbaijani journalism be pluralist, responsible and professional. But it is not so because it is not free economically. The main source of economic and political independence of press is the existence of strong advertisement market, which does not exist in Azerbaijan. Annual turnover of the advertisement market is only 3 million AZN. Monthly circulation of all newspapers is within 1,7 million copes or 0,2 newspapers per capita a month. Circulation of all on-governmental newspapers , except Yeni Musavat and Azadlig, are less than a thousand. Most of newspapers sell only dozens of papers a day. The authorities tell about the existing of 4,000 or 6,000 papers, but the firms selling papers say that only 150 names of newspaper are sold, and 30 other are monthly ( they can hardly be called papers.) So there is a question: where do independent Azerbaijani press and swiftly developing Internet resources get income? The answer is simple because it is based on the researches c

onducted by Najaf Najafov Foundation, according to which almost 99,9% newspapers in Azerbaijan are funded from illegal sources, mainly governmental or pro-governmental. Funds are sent through two channels: in envelops and through ads; popularity or readability of newspapers are not important. For example, in Azerbaijan, a newspaper which sells only 50 copies a day may get an advertisement amounting 250,000 AZN a year! It is not coincidence that on the eve of signing the decree the police prohibited street-sale of newspapers. It was a continuation of a long-term state camping for liquidation the paper-selling network in Azerbaijan. Before the cleansing campaign there were more than 600 points selling newspapers, including kiosks, stands and street-sale. Great damage was caused to readers in regions, because beyond Absheron peninsular only 500 newspapers a day are sold. Court fines and arrest of journalists also is some kind of succession in modern Azerbaijan. "Teaching" the basis of journalism and professional ethics in courts and jails is third direction of state policy in mass media. Journalists have so well learned lessons given by authorities that they have forgotten the real meaning of press- public control over authorities. Monitoring conducted by the coalition of journalist organizations , and then by the Press Council showed that Azerbaijan"s journalism has forgotten such notions as pluralism and impartiality. The authors of this policy and the new press created by them will mark the holiday. They will mark the burial of ideals of their fathers- the founders of enlightened national journalism.

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