Miklos Haraszti: Journalists have responsibilities and duties as well as rights

With an October election on the horizon, the stakes are high in Azerbaijan.

The world’s eyes are on the country,” writes the book “Ten Years for Media Freedom – An OSCE Anniversary: Current and Forthcoming Challenges” published by the office of OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Miklos Haraszti, APA reports.

“The year 2007 was a difficult one for the media in Azerbaijan. At one point, there were nine journalists in jail. After a presidential amnesty, we now have four journalists in prison. There is little serious investigative journalism in Azerbaijan. The government and pro-government media are very vocal in their criticism of the low professional and ethical standards of the Azerbaijani media. There is a need to develop and strengthen professional standards.
Journalists have responsibilities and duties as well as rights,” the book writes.

The book also writes that OSCE and the Council of Europe are leading efforts to persuade Azerbaijan to decriminalize libel and defamation and the OSCE, together with the BBC Trust, is committed to training journalists in election reporting.