Today marks the 151st anniversary of the establishment of Azerbaijan's national press.

Axar.az informs, citing Repоrt, that the foundation of Azerbaijan's national press was laid 151 years ago, on July 22, 1875, when Hasan bey Zardabi, one of the prominent representatives of the enlightenment movement of his time, began publishing the Akinchi newspaper.

Akinchi laid the first foundation stone of a truly national, democratic and public press in the Azerbaijani language. Although only 56 issues of the newspaper were published, it became a mirror of the people and a standard-bearer of Azerbaijani journalism.

In later years, newspapers and magazines such as Ziya, Kashkul, Sharqi-Rus, Irshad and Molla Nasraddin, published by prominent intellectuals, continued Akinchi's traditions. The main goal of these media outlets was to fight ignorance and injustice and promote enlightenment.

The Azerbaijani press, which has followed a rich and honorable path, has passed through several stages. During the period of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the foundations of a free press and a new approach to events were laid.

The next stage covers the period after the occupation of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic by the Bolsheviks. Seventy years of the 151-year history of the press were linked to the communist dictatorship. During that period, the Azerbaijani press mostly wrote about existing problems between the lines, as the media served as a mouthpiece for Soviet policy and ideology. Thinking and writing differently were prohibited.

From the second half of the 1990s, the Azerbaijani press entered a new stage of development. This stage also coincided with the period of Azerbaijani statehood and democratic state-building. National Leader Heydar Aliyev, who laid the foundation for this new period of development, always highly valued the influence of the press on society and took consistent measures to ensure freedom of the press and speech and strengthen the material and technical base of mass media outlets.

The first decree related to the Azerbaijani press during the period of independence was also signed by Heydar Aliyev. In total, the National Leader signed more than 10 orders and decrees to address problems facing the press. In 1999, a law "On Mass Media" meeting international standards was adopted. Censorship in Azerbaijan was abolished under Heydar Aliyev's order dated August 6, 1998.

Freedom of speech and the press, as well as the media, receive attention and support at the highest level in the country. President Ilham Aliyev has signed important orders aimed at developing free media, strengthening the material and technical base of the press, and improving the social and economic situation of journalists.

During the 44-day Patriotic War, which began on September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan achieved victory not only on the battlefield but also in the information war. Circles that regularly conducted smear campaigns against the country did not stop their actions during that period either. Nevertheless, Azerbaijan, which liberated its historical lands from occupation and fought for truth and justice, also gained the upper hand in the information war.

At the same time, two representatives of the Azerbaijani press became victims of Armenian terror. After the Patriotic War ended, a vehicle carrying journalists filming in the liberated territories hit an anti-tank mine in the Susuzlug village area of Kalbajar district on June 4, 2021. As a result, AZERTAC correspondent Maharram Ibrahimov, AzTV cameraman Siraj Abishov and Arif Aliyev, deputy representative of the head of the Kalbajar District Executive Authority for the Susuzlug village administrative district, were killed, while four others were injured.