Azeri media marks 135th anniversary
BAKU - The 135th anniversary of the Azerbaijani media was marked on
Thursday.
The National Press Day has been celebrated on July 22, the day the first national publication, Akinci, was published in 1875, since Azerbaijan gained independence from the Soviet Union in October 1991.
Azerbaijan’s rampant economic and social development in the second half of the 19th century necessitated the establishment of the national press. Prominent enlightener Hasanbay Zardabi then appealed to the government of Czarist Russia, and managed -- though with great difficulty -- to obtain permission to publish a newspaper. From July 22, 1875 to September 29, 1877, a total of 56 Akinci issues were published with Zardabi acting as editor. The biweekly newspaper was being published by the Baku governor’s publishing house in 300 to 400 copies.
Akinci, which chiefly aimed to increase public awareness, soon became wildly popular among both intellectuals and rank-and-file Azeris. Czarist Russia bewared of the newspaper’s playing a vital role in public enlightenment and socio-political developments in Azerbaijan. Moreover, in 1877-1878 -- when the Russia-Turkey war erupted -- the Russian government bewared of a Turkish-language newspaper being available in the rear front, and Akinci was shut down in September 1877 on its orders.
More than 4,000 mass media outlets are registered in Azerbaijan, including over 100 newspapers and magazines, as well as hundreds of websites.*
The National Press Day has been celebrated on July 22, the day the first national publication, Akinci, was published in 1875, since Azerbaijan gained independence from the Soviet Union in October 1991.
Azerbaijan’s rampant economic and social development in the second half of the 19th century necessitated the establishment of the national press. Prominent enlightener Hasanbay Zardabi then appealed to the government of Czarist Russia, and managed -- though with great difficulty -- to obtain permission to publish a newspaper. From July 22, 1875 to September 29, 1877, a total of 56 Akinci issues were published with Zardabi acting as editor. The biweekly newspaper was being published by the Baku governor’s publishing house in 300 to 400 copies.
Akinci, which chiefly aimed to increase public awareness, soon became wildly popular among both intellectuals and rank-and-file Azeris. Czarist Russia bewared of the newspaper’s playing a vital role in public enlightenment and socio-political developments in Azerbaijan. Moreover, in 1877-1878 -- when the Russia-Turkey war erupted -- the Russian government bewared of a Turkish-language newspaper being available in the rear front, and Akinci was shut down in September 1877 on its orders.
More than 4,000 mass media outlets are registered in Azerbaijan, including over 100 newspapers and magazines, as well as hundreds of websites.*
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