PROJECT: “Observation of Norms and Rules of Professional Ethics in Azerbaijani Press”

AUTHORS OF PROJECT: Azerbaijan Journalist Union, Yeni Nesil (New Generation) journalism union, RUH Journalists Protection Organization, Najaf Najafov Enlightenment and Charitable Fund and Democratic League of Journalists.

PROJECT GOAL: To check observation of journalist ethics principles by prints, to reveal characteristic violations, to reduce level of violations and to raise professional standards of journalists through press monitoring.

The project is implemented from 01.10.2007 to 30.09.2008 through financial support of Small Grants Democratic Commission of U.S. embassy’s Public Relations Department.

The monitoring is based on the principles worked out by Yeni Nesil journalism union. These principles correspond to demands of Azerbaijan Journalists Ethical Code. According to these principles, all cases of probable violation of professional ethics in press are indicated by 50 codes. The coded violations are divided into 13 sub-categories depending on their similarity or difference from other ethical violations. The sub-categories are united into three main categories: 1) “Serve to Truth, Reliability and Objectivity,” 2) “Respectful attitude towards source of information” and 3) “Protection of Name” (principle “Protection of Honor and Dignity, Personal Privacy”). The instruction made up for those holding the monitoring is the main means, which plays the role of criteria of monitoring holding. The instruction is attached to the report.

The monitoring covers 57-59 prints, which are published in the republic periodically (as minimum once a week, but periodicity of some newspaper changes) in Azerbaijani and Russian languages, and three web sites.

The main peculiarity of the monitoring is that it concentrates only on one section of journalism activities – professional ethics. Political, social and other aspects of journalism is not the subject of study of the monitoring.

Considering that the monitoring will take one year, we do not think that the first report will deeply analyze data of the first three months and do not hope for serious conclusions. But some interesting trends that have been found out, could be characteristic for the whole Azerbaijani press.

For instance, in each of three months covered by the monitoring (November-December 2007 and January 2008) number of violations of Code 15 (Lack of reference to source of information without convincing explanations) of the 2^nd category (Respectful attitude towards source of information) surpasses number of all other types of violations. If number of all violations committed by prints and web site during 3 months of monitoring totals 18,715 (100%), 5,360 of these violations (28%) fall at 15 code of 2 category. It means that many Azerbaijani journalists ignore not only demands of Ethical Code, but also their colleagues’ work.

Another interesting fact is that if each 2 and 3 categories in the instruction contains 10 codes, number of violations in 3 category is calculated on 15 codes. If number of violations in each category would have been the same, number of violations in 3 category would have surpassed number of violations in 1 and 2 category each by 1.5 times (50%).

Three-month-long actual indexes of all violations (18,715 – 100%) revealed during the monitoring are divided into categories in the following way:

Although three-month-long monitoring does not enable to draw final conclusion, widely spread opinion on press and journalists in the society is not confirmed. The opinion is that defamation, libel, insult of honor and dignity is widely spread in Azerbaijani media and if law on defamation is adopted, such situation could lead to tragedy.

Some media mostly violate 3 category or violations, which are not characteristics for the whole Azerbaijani press. Fore example, Muasir Musavat newspaper published three times week has 421 violations (100%), of which 194 ones (48%) fall at 3 category. During 3 months Hural newspaper published once a week committed 185 violations (100%), of which 54 ones (29.2%) belong to 3 category. Ideal, Ses and Azadlig newspapers differ from other prints. But it is necessary to stress one circumstance here.

At the end of each month the monitoring group presents all articles containing violation of 3 category for juridical examination. Number of such articles is high and you can see it in the tables attached to the report. After the examination their number significantly reduces. The juridical examination proved that 89 (100%) of 2,200 articles containing violations belonging to 3 category envisage legal liability. 44 (49.4%) of these violations envisage criminal responsibility and 45 (50.5%) violations envisage civil responsibility. In this respect Muasir Musavat differs from other prints. 13 (29.54%) articles containing violations envisage criminal responsibility and 7 articles (15.5%) envisage civil responsibility. Hural, Ses and Ideal newspapers have 11 (12.3%) violations each.

Top ten violations frequently occurring in the course of monitoring during this period looks as following:

Code 1 (41) of 3 category is among frequently occurring violations in top five. There were 15,409 (82.3%) of total 18,715 violations of first five codes.

In each of three months covered by the monitoring (November-December 2007 and January 2008) number of violations of the first five above-mentioned codes (15, 06, 08, 01 and 41) exceeded number of all other violations. If during next monitoring we find out that the current trend remains, we could state that violation of these codes is characteristic for Azerbaijani press.

Therefore, violations most characteristic for separate prints look as following:

Top ten newspapers committed maximum violations

45.95% of total number of violations committed by monitored media during 3 months fell at 10 above-mentioned newspapers. Muasir Musavat newspaper, which takes the first place on total number of violations, is not among top ten newspapers, which seriously violated 3 category. Azadlig daily leads on violations in this category – it has 174 such violations constituting 7.9% of total number of violations in this category (2,200).

If one pays attention to order of top ten newspapers violated separate categories, we could see various changes:

Top ten prints committed maximum violations of 3 category (principle Protection of Name, Protection of Honor and Dignity and Private Liberty) is the following:

Top ten newspapers committed maximum violations of 2 category (Respectful Attitude Towards Source of Information) of total number of 6,163:

Top ten prints committed maximum violations of 1 category (Serve to Truth, Reliability and Objectivity) of total number of 10,352 violations:

Ses, Caspian and 24 Hours newspapers are among top ten prints that violated all three categories.

During 3 months web sites committed 783 violations, 4.18% of total number of violations. Violations are divided among web site as following:

Web sites as well as prints mostly violated 1 category. 647 (82.6%) of total 783 violations (100%) fell at 1 category, 30 (3.83%) – 2 category and 106 (13.53%) – 3 category.

Although in the current report about monitoring we stressed some interesting moments, we would like to limit ourselves to statement of facts, because this first report covers only 3 months.

Attachments to the report:

1. Instruction for those holding monitoring.
2. Lawyer’s opinion on violation of category 3
3. Total quarterly table of all violations
4. Table of violations of 1 category (3 months).
5. Table of violations of 2 category (3 months).
6. Table of violations of 3 category (3 months).

In conclusion Monitoring Group urges readers to address to us in case of distortion of facts in press or violation of ethics in prints.

For three-month monitoring results visit web site www.nnf.az

Phone number of Monitoring Group: 4933339

e-mail monitoring@inbox.ru

Project coordinator: Israil Musayev