Recently Yeni Azerbaijan Party sent a letter to the Council of Press. The document sets out that ruling party is concerned with rough violation of the law on Mass Media and the rules of ethics attendant outrage and slander by some mass media. Furthermore, the letter says that the freedom of speech and pluralism is an integrated part of democratic values system of Azerbaijani community but unfortunately, these principles are violated by some mass media publishing articles contradicting to elementary morality principles.

In the sphere of e-media that means the Federal TVs are under control of the Kremlin’s administration. Such a situation was observed in mid 2003 and strengthened in 2004 when last political programs broadcast on air were closed. Since that lets the Kremlin administration be not in concerns any longer on anything unpleasant and unexpected to appear without their awareness – such a situation is possible only as a by side product of the internal struggle in elite people.

Oppositionists spoke on necessity to improve legislation on mass media. As the edition “Gazeta” (newspaper) informed on 4 April that “Rodina” (Motherland) and “Yabloko” (apple) demanded authorities to realize the President Putin’s wish and to provide all the political parties with equal access to the state mass media. At the same time, the parties chose different ways of struggle for free speech. The political council of “Rodina” has sent an official letter to Commission on Communications, Information politics and Free Speech of the Public Chamber.

There are grounds to suppose a preparation to escape for the ex-head of “UKOS” Mikhail Khodorkovsky from jail, Anna Politkovskaya - an observer of “Novaya gazeta” (New newspaper) writes in her latest article. The journalist supposes that the former businessman is forced to leave the prison. Later they are going to organize an operation on escaped prisoners, during which Khodorkovsky may be killed, Politkovskaya asserts. She prompts that such happenings are on hand for authorities, who will be able, at last, to forget on the oligarch fallen into disgrace.

As “Lenta.ru” was informed by Director General of “Pravda.ru” Inna Novikova, on Thursday the Internet provider – Masterhost Company – informed the editorial office on some extracts from the letter received by Masterhost from the FSS where they demanded to delete the cartoons on the Prophet Mohammed which provoked mass actions of protest of Muslims all over the world from the web sites caricature.ru and Pravda.ru. The FSS considered publication of these cartoons as contributing to religious kindling.

Knight Ridder was up for not because of a bad life: this was one of the most successful newspaper publishing houses in the USA. The Holding consisted of 32 editions and only 4 of them were of 18% lower profitability. At the same time the most profitable newspapers get over 26 %. The average on the Company is 19, 3 %. This is normal for the publishing industry on the whole and is twice more than the average margin of companies from the list prepared by Fortune 500.

Officials assert that the information in the article provokes a religious and social hatred and also “has created a real threat for public security”. The head of the Russian Department on Culture Protection Boris Boyarskov flatly demanded the edition “at once to eliminate the breach” and if the journalists did not obey, the law enforcement bodies were to interfere with the matter. “Gazeta.ru” followed the order; however, the editor-in-chief Mikhail Mikhaylin let them know about his considering the Department’s decision illegal. “We follow orders of the control body, but that does not mean our agreement with them at all”, Mikhaylin said.

The BBC has already applied to Accenture Consulting firm with a request to get an answer to the question how to make foreigners pay? The British themselves were left aside concerning the BBC initiative – because of payable license fees which are known as taken from each family with a TV set. According to Director on Strategy and New Technologies of the BBC Worldwide David Mudi, a fee for access to the web-site is one of the probable ways to solve the problem; however, the Corporation is also considering other ones, for example, publicity.

The truth and impartiality
There are quite detailed “Instructions of the BBC editors” on the web-site of the Corporation on values which are followed with the principles on activity and practical methods to guide its values and principles in its production – the Corporation’s TV broadcasts, radio programs and on the Internet sites. There is truthfulness and exactness of the information spread, impartiality and many sided coverage of events, independence of editors’ opinions, serving for public interests, openness and simultaneous protection of private lives, transparency in activity, responsibility and care for children among the major values of the Corporation.

The I World Summit in Geneva on an information society held internationally and representation of our country at this international forum is estimated as integration into an information society. The world summit on an information society is an important event organized by the United Nations Organization and the International Telecommunications Union. Heads of 176 countries, UN representatives of 50 different structures, more than 11 thousand representatives of a hundred nongovernmental organizations, the world’s largest companies and known bodies of media took part on the first stage of the summit on December, 10-12th, 2003 in the Swedish city of Geneva. Within two years after the summit they started carrying out reforms in compliance with the National Strategy accepted within the frameworks of cooperation with the UN Program on Information Communication Technologies Development.

Two opposite approaches to that were formed. One considered the work in an editorial office of a newspaper or a magazine the best school for journalists to gain a necessary experience. The other asserted on necessity of special schools for journalists to be set up. The first school for journalists (comparable with university standards up to the level of education) was founded in 1908 at the university of Missouri. Josef Pulitzer contributed $ 2 mln to a school for journalists in Columbian University in New York which was opened in 1912 thanks to it.

The place to pour out
With approaching elections the Internet starts to function in a regime of “a place to pour out”, in other words, it is started to be used as “a place to pour out” information. Publishing of some information may be of an extreme advantage for one and disadvantage for others. At the same time, it does not matter in principle whether the poured out information is true or not. It is mainly designed to appear when necessary and to stick up to snow white collars and blue (or orange) ties as dirt.

The bill states that in Azerbaijan there is free access to information, consequently, every person himself/herself, or via his/her representative has the right to apply to a source of information and to choose a type and form of access to information.
This document has been prepared by the CoE recommendation. The experience of the leading world countries proves that no access to information for citizenry, lack of transparency in state bodies contribute to corruption, bribe taking, irrational state governing, bureaucracy, human rights and freedoms violation.

Probably, that was the twist of fate: our battalion of artillery protected Armenians from Turks... For me Turkey with closed borders was native and close but at the same time inaccessible as a dream...
In February, the same year the process which had been developing silently as a cancer disease for many years revealed and everyone understood that a problem was in the stage of “metastasis”. Then one Armenian from Iran told me in native Turkish: “Baba, (an old man, a respectful address to somebody) why do you need Karabakh? One sea is enough for you”. Then, as if he joked: “Protect the Caspian sea till we arrive... For us to have a little caviar...”

And here a new reality - the perestroyka reality came. We think that no one but we were ready for it, indeed, we did not have a necessity to be reconstructed and we were turning round with indignation (the consequence of the same habit for quick life reconstruction on order) and found out that other people, organizations, relations, lives are as if still, the changes are neither meaningful nor in proportion to the words spoken nor externally done efforts. And someone, indignant at this, was already ready to withdraw and close the shell down, but someone more desirably speeded up the life with a new tirade of words. The matter is neither of words nor the live we are surrounded; neither of others, i.e., friends, enemies, the matter is of ourselves.