The Azerbaijan Press Council is closely monitoring with serious concern biased information, distorted materials, and campaigns aimed at manipulating public opinion against Azerbaijan on a number of Turkish media outlets and social media platforms, stated in a statement issued by the Council, APA reports.
The Press Council's statement noted that the recent presentation of certain incidents in Azerbaijan out of context, the deliberate politicization of discussions concerning the country's domestic affairs, and the dissemination of unverified allegations as facts are completely contrary to the fundamental principles of professional journalism.
"The Azerbaijan Press Council particularly emphasizes that the primary duty of journalism is not to turn societies against one another, but to uncover the truth, provide the public with accurate information, and contribute to mutual understanding. Unfortunately, it must be noted that the exact opposite has been observed in some Turkish media outlets in recent days. In particular, the decision to introduce a unified school uniform in general education institutions in our country is being taken out of context and distorted, while completely unfounded allegations are being spread about an alleged 'hijab ban' in Azerbaijan and the suppression of Islamic values. Moreover, this issue, which concerns purely domestic educational regulations, is being artificially shifted into the sphere of religious and ideological confrontation, thereby attempting to create a negative image of our country.
The distortion of issues related to religious freedoms, education policy, and the socio-cultural life of our society, the use of old or fake photos and videos unrelated to the subject, as well as the presentation of the radical views of certain marginal individuals as the position of Turkish society as a whole, are aimed at misleading public opinion. Such an approach is consistent neither with the principles of objective journalism nor with the spirit of the existing strategic relations between the two brotherly countries."
The statement also emphasized that another matter of concern is that this smear campaign is not limited to social media but is also being carried out by some traditional Turkish media outlets.
"In these materials, the boundaries of criticism and freedom of expression are clearly exceeded, while social media accounts provide a platform for dangerous calls aimed at forcibly changing the constitutional order in the Republic of Azerbaijan and seizing power through illegal means.
Relations between Azerbaijan and Türkiye are based on shared history, language, culture, spiritual values, and unwavering mutual trust. The principle of 'One nation, two states' expresses equal cooperation and brotherhood between our countries as independent states. This sacred principle cannot be used as a justification for interfering in any country's domestic or foreign policy, dragging society into ideological confrontation, or making unfounded accusations."
The Press Council called on Turkish media organizations, journalist associations, editorial offices, and individuals influencing public opinion on digital platforms to verify information concerning Azerbaijan using reliable sources before publishing it.
"The Council calls for preventing the distortion of facts and the dissemination of fake or out-of-context images, refraining from insults, slander, and hateful rhetoric directed against the Azerbaijani state and people, promptly correcting and retracting identified misinformation, and taking a principled stance against all forms of manipulative campaigns that could harm relations between the two countries.
The Azerbaijan Press Council declares that it will continue to demonstrate its principled position against the distortion of truth, the spread of disinformation, and the use of media resources to undermine trust between our countries."
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