Shusha, Azerbaijan: The Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan who is also the Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev has said that Citizen Journalism is comprising real journalism and everybody has become a journalist through social media platforms and the situation has resulted inflow of untrue information that finding the truth is becoming difficult at media sphere.
Addressing the first Session of the Shusha Global Forum on “New Media in the Era of the 4th Industrial Revolution ” he said that media philosophy is drastically changing and the threat to receive fake and untrue news is getting higher and higher every day because everybody who can use social media platform is providing “news” to public. However, he also indicated that social media had resulted in an information revolution but there is a need to protect ethical journalism and the real threat is being faced by professional bonafide journalists. He was of the view that information flow can not be controlled in the 21st century but professional journalism must not die due to this new cadre of journalists who can produce untrue and fake news and can launch it on the information horizon—the social media networks. He also talked about the 20th century in which information flow was controlled and many disastrous events like the Khojaly genocide had been denied proper placement in international media.
It may be mentioned that one of the gravest crimes committed against the civilian population during the decades of Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan and the most tragic page of the First Karabakh War was the occupation of Khojaly City. Before the conflict, 7,000 people were living in this town located in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. From October 1991, the town was entirely surrounded by the armed forces of Armenia. Over the night of the 25 to 26 February 1992, following the massive artillery bombardment of Khojaly, the armed forces of Armenia, with the help of the infantry guards regiment No.366 of the former USSR, implemented the seizure of Khojaly. Invaders destroyed Khojaly and with particular brutality implemented carnage over its peaceful population.
As a result of the Khojaly genocide, 5,379 inhabitants of the city were forcefully expelled, 1,275 were captured and taken hostage (the fate of 150 of them, including 68 women and 26 children, remains unknown to date) and were tortured, 487 were injured, 8 families were completely destroyed, 130 children lost one and 25 children lost both parents, 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women, and 70 elderlies were brutally murdered.
Hikmat Hajiyev was of the view that media forums such as of Shusha Global Forum should come up with recommendations to ensure the blocking of fake news and untrue information while considering the fact in mind that citizens’ right to get information must also not have been denied.
The second session of the day started with a session themed “The Future of Media: role of Media and new tools in journalism and Communication in the digital age”. The panel discussion of the session was moderated by TRT fame Maria Ramos who is an international news anchor. The session focused on the future of media as well as the next steps for traditional media and digital transformation. A detailed discussion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on the future of journalism was discussed at length. The event brought together representatives of local and foreign media, experts including, 150 participants from 49 countries and state news agencies from 34 countries, and 12 international and media organizations. The other sessions with the participation of foreign and local experts addressed topics that included new tools in journalism and communication in the digital age, investment in media, consumer trends, and others.
The Forum will end on July 23. The Media Development Agency is the organizer of the Forum.
