Azernews.Az

Aflatun Amashov was re-elected chairman of the media watchdog Press Council at the fifth congress of journalists held on Friday. He won the majority of votes, with one vote cast against his candidacy and four abstainees.
Amashov expressed gratitude for the confidence vested in him and vowed to do his utmost to develop the press in the country.
The congress also approved the proposed amendments to the Council's by-laws. Under the changes, the ban suggesting that one person cannot be elected its chairman more than twice has been lifted, while the tenure of the management board has been extended from two to four years. Despite objections from some participants, the proposal was approved with the majority of votes.
A presidential administration official has voiced discontent with the activity of the Council, which is in charge of overseeing the print media.
"When the body was established, its key outlined goal was to regulate relations between the authorities and the media and between society and the media. However, the Council has been failing to meet the objective over the past period, as some media outlets are still disregarding its recommendations," the head of the President's Office socio-political department, Ali Hasanov, told reporters.
He noted that this was adversely affecting the organization's image. "Unfortunately, the Press Council has yet to turn into an influential entity of Azerbaijani journalists."
Hasanov emphasized that the Council still had much work to do in solving the problems faced by local media. "Firstly, the media's financial problems should be solved. Furthermore, steps should be taken to increase the professionalism of journalists," he said.
Hasanov went on to say that President Ilham Aliyev has instructed relevant government agencies to solve the problems faced by the media in Azerbaijan. "The government is aware of the media outlets' challenges...Based on the President's instructions, state bodies have embarked on materializing major plans aimed at solving them."
He said the main problem was currently under-funded media outlets' falling under the clout of well-to-do persons. "Therefore, the media's economic independence should be primarily ensured," he said, pledging all-rounded state support to reach the goal.
Hasanov highlighted that the head of state supports the development of Azerbaijani media. "The President believes that our media is capable of nurturing journalists that become our society. The media should find the strength to do so," he added.