Azerbaijan marks National Press Day today

Today marks 135-year anniversary since establishment of a national press in Azerbaijan. Publicist Hasan bey Zardabi published the first issue of "Akinchi" ("The Ploughman"), the first newspaper in Azerbaijan on July 22, 1875.

The first newspaper had only 56 issues and was published from July 22, 1875 to September, 1877. He played an irreplaceable role in development of national press in Azerbaijan.

“Akinchi” was an educative newspaper. It was very popular among intellectuals and ordinary people as well. Outstanding intellectuals and writers were regularly publishing their articles there. Fearing its educative mission, the tsarist Russia closed the newspaper in 1877.

Over the past 135 years, Azerbaijani press passed through different periods of regression and renaissance becoming a mirror of the society’s view on ongoing processes. A ban on censorship in 1998 gave serious impetus to the development of the press in Azerbaijan.

There are more than 4,000 mass media organizations in the republic, including a number of different newspapers and magazines, as well as Internet-newspapers.

The development of information technology has made Azerbaijani press a part of global information network. The process of globalization in the world didn’t step aside the newspapers as well. Today hundreds of journalists are attending trainings and internships sponsored by the international organizations to improve their skills.

Azerbaijan Press Council has prevented scattered publications and published Professional Code of Journalists, which had a positive impact on solution of problems of media organizations. Description of freedom of press and expression as a basic principle in the Constitution of Azerbaijan promoted formation of media as a free and strong institution of the society. Azerbaijani journalists became active participants of these processes.

On June 11, 2010, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev issued an order to celebrate 135-year anniversary of the national press of Azerbaijan. According to the order, conferences and workshops were organized in the regions of Azerbaijan on the occasion of 135th anniversary of the national press.


/APA/