What They’re Reading: Azerbaijan’s Fourth Estate

Foreign Policy: What are people reading in Baku?

Arif Aliev: People do not like to read. Rich people found their own newspapers. We have hardly any nonpartisan journalism. Even the largest papers, Yeni Musavat and Baki Khabar, both of the opposition, have a daily circulation of a mere 7,000 in a country of 8 million.

FP: Why are so few people reading?

AA: People have lost their orientation since the collapse of the Soviet Union. After independence in 1991, we changed our alphabet for the fourth time in a century. Thus, the young cannot read older books, and older people cannot read new ones. Also, a book costs about $5 in a country with an average monthly income of $35.

FP: What would be a bestseller in Baku?

AA: We do not have bestseller lists. The last actual bestseller was probably Ali and Nino, a variation of Romeo and Juliet featuring an Azeri, Muslim boy and a Georgian, Christian girl. However, "bestselling" means maybe 10,000 copies. A normal book sells 300 to 500 copies.

FP: What about Web sites and television?

AA: People read the Azeri-language Web sites of the BBC, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Mediaforum, and some others. For TV, the younger ones turn to Turkish channels, whereas the older ones stick with Russian ones. The one interesting, commercial TV station from Azerbaijan is the Azeri News Service, though it exercises some level of self-censorship.

FP: Why did you found a daily paper?

AA: I have tried to explain for many years what professional journalism is. I published the first issue of Gun Seher on Feb. 19, 2005. It is the first joint-stock company newspaper here, and main funding comes from 15 prominent journalists and from grants. We sell 3,500 copies daily now.

FP: Why should people buy your paper?

AA: It is the only paper where you can find a story about the president and the opposition on the same page. Plus, our paper runs commentaries and covers sports, culture, and international issues. My journalists are required to sign a code of ethics, and we have an ombudsman. We are watchdogs rather than servants.