Hugug Salmanov: "I have never seen open promotion materials about presidential candidate Ilham Aliyev on Day.Az"

"Three local websites (Day.Az, 1news.az, APA) have posted 110 materials about presidential candidates in period from September 17 until October 2", said member of the International work group Hugug Salmanov in his report on "Monitoring of mass media in period of presidential elections", at a press conference held today.

The said monitoring started on August 1 and will complete on October 17, after the Central Election Commission voices the preliminary results of the presidential elections in Azerbaijan. The monitoring covered 7 local TV channels, 10 sociopolitical newspapers ("Azerbaijan" state official newspaper, three opposition newspapers - Azadlyg, Yeni Musavat and Baki Kheber, two newspapers of the ruling party - Yeni Azerbaijan and Ses) and four independent newspapers - Express, 525-aya qazeta, Zerkalo and Ekho) and 3 websites (Day.Az, 1news.az, APA).

According to Salmanov, the biggest number of information on the internet sites was devoted to presidential candidate from the Yeni Azerbaijan ruling party Ilham Aliyev (44), who is followed by chairman of the United Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan Qudrat Hasanquliyev 17), chairman of the Umid party Iqbal Aghazade (15), independent presidential candidate Qulamhuseyn Alibeyli (14), chairman of the Great Creation Party Fazil Qazanfaroghlu (9), chairman of the Liberal-Democratic party of Azerbaijan Fuad Aliyev (7), chairman of the Muasir Musavat party Hafiz Hajiyev (4).

As for the objectiveness of the materials about the presidential candidates, Salmanov said Day.Az is unbiased and maintains parity in this issue.

"I have never seen open promotion materials about presidential candidate from the ruling party Ilham Aliyev on Day.Az. The information, you provide, reflects the visits of working President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to any region of the country and does not contain propaganda.

Unfortunately, some local mass medias do not differ with objectiveness and they write articles, which openly support the interests of presidential candidate Ilham Aliyev, which is incorrect, for this is an open demonstration of the partiality of journalists of these mass medias", said Salmanov.

Speaking about the main purpose of the said monitoring and its influence on the sociopolitical situation and the situation with a freedom of speech in Azerbaijan, he said that the central point of this monitoring is to demonstrate that local mass medias are divided into two fronts - progovernmental and pro-oppositional journalism.

"This is a negative factor, for journalism must only be independent. And when Azerbaijan has only independent journalists and no progovernmental or pro-oppositional journalism, all local mass medias will provide only unbiased information, while the monitoring we hold now aims to assist to this process", concluded Salmanov.

/Day.Az/