Azerbaijan: Media Tolerance Monitoring Program

Azerbaijan: Media Tolerance Monitoring Program

August 10, 2006/Baku/Azerbaijan

League for Intercultural Cooperation (LIC) has launched a “Media Tolerance Monitoring” program to observe the covering of inter-religious and inter-ethnic relations in Azerbaijani media. In the frame of the project, LIC will monitor 8 newspapers: Azadlig, Ekho, Khalg Gazeti, Uch Nogta, Yeni Azerbaijan, Yeni Musavat, Zerkalo, and 525-ci Gazet from August till October 2006. Six of them are in Azerbaijani and two are in Russian. One of them is governmental, three are edited by political parties, and four are independent.

The special attention will be paid for the vocabulary used by journalists to describe the problems of armed conflicts, refugees, cultural minorities, migrants, racism, and all forms of cultural discrimination and intolerance. Within the project, LIC will note the frequency of media interest to the problems of cultural discrimination as well.

Further, LIC is planning to use the results of the monitoring while preparation of a special booklet for journalists covering inter-cultural relations. LIC will conduct the training for journalists on cultural sensitivity and media ethics in November 2006 as well.

We should note that this program was inspired by the campaign for Participation, Human Rights and Diversity run by the Council of Europe from June 2006 till September 2007. In the framework of this campaign, hundreds of NGOs are organizing international and local events aimed to contribute in building peaceful societies based on cultural diversity and inclusion of all groups, as well as in a spirit of mutual respect and tolerance.

Contact us:

Ulviyya Tahirqizi

Public Relations Manager

League for Intercultural Cooperation

Address: Abbas Fatullayev str. 129/22, Baku AZ 1133, Azerbaijan

Tel.: (+994 12) 478 00 53           E-mail: licazerbaijan@yahoo.com

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League for Intercultural Cooperation (LIC) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in Baku by a group of youth with the aim to contribute in organization and development of dialogue and collaboration among the people irrespective of race, religion, nationality, or other factor of artificial human division. LIC is the first domestic NGO focused primarily on celebrating cultural diversity and promoting intercultural dialogue in Azerbaijan. Its activity is devoted for monitoring of hate motivated actions, education of national and international principles and laws on equal rights, respect of diversity, promotion of multiculturalism, and elimination of all forms of discrimination in a result. 

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