National Press Day of Azerbaijan
Description:
The national press greatly influenced the formation of national consciousness in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which resulted in the creation of the first democratic republic in the whole East and the granting of the right to vote to women as early as 1919, at the same time as in the United States, for example.
Since the 80s, the national press has been the bearer of the mission of creating a free and democratic press, respecting people’s thoughts and expressions, informing people quickly through updated information, and promoting pluralism and tolerance.
Today, the press, often referred to as the fourth power, promotes the transparency of many processes and improves the performance of its activities by the three “classical” branches of government (executive, legislative, judicial).
Azerbaijan has already joined the global information system. As in many democratic countries, Azerbaijan has established a press council and adopted a law on mass media.
The decree of the President of the Republic Heydar Aliyev of August 16, 1998 “On measures to ensure freedom of speech, thought and information in the Republic of Azerbaijan” eliminated censorship over the media in the country.
This decree gave a serious impetus to the accelerated development of the mass media, also determined the main directions of a broad state program in the field of improving their rationality.
