BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 19. The Azerbaijan Press Council has expressed concern over biased reports, distorted materials, and campaigns aimed at manipulating public opinion about Azerbaijan in some Turkish media outlets and on social media.
The concerns were outlined in a statement issued by the council regarding what it described as a biased campaign against Azerbaijan in Turkish media.
The council called on media organizations to verify information about Azerbaijan using reliable sources before publication, correct inaccurate reports, and take a firm stance against manipulative campaigns that could harm relations between the two countries.
According to the statement, the presentation of individual incidents in Azerbaijan out of context, the deliberate politicization of discussions about the country's domestic affairs, and the dissemination of unverified claims as facts in recent days run counter to the fundamental principles of professional journalism.
The statement emphasized that journalism's primary responsibility is not to turn societies against one another, but to establish the truth, provide the public with accurate information, and contribute to mutual understanding.
The council said that some Turkish media outlets had taken a decision to introduce a standardized school uniform in Azerbaijan's general education institutions out of context and distorted its meaning. It also said that unfounded claims were being circulated that Azerbaijan had introduced a “hijab ban” and was suppressing Islamic values.
According to the statement, a matter relating exclusively to domestic education regulations was being artificially turned into a religious and ideological confrontation, in an attempt to create a negative image of Azerbaijan.
The Press Council said that distorting issues related to religious freedom, education policy, and the country's social and cultural life, using outdated or fake photos and videos unrelated to the subject, and presenting the radical views of individual fringe figures as the position of Turkish society as a whole serve to mislead public opinion.
It said this approach was inconsistent with the principles of objective journalism and the spirit of the strategic relationship between the two countries.
Another source of concern, the statement noted, was that the campaign was not limited to social media, as similar materials had also appeared in some traditional Turkish media outlets.
The council said it considered it unacceptable to cross the boundaries of criticism and freedom of expression, as well as to provide a platform on social media for dangerous calls aimed at forcibly changing Azerbaijan's constitutional order or seizing power through illegal means.
The statement highlighted that relations between Azerbaijan and Türkiye are based on shared history, language, culture, spiritual values, and mutual trust. The council said the principle of “One nation, two states” reflects the equal partnership and brotherhood of the two countries as independent states.
It added that this principle must not be used to interfere in either country's domestic or foreign policy, push society toward ideological confrontation, or make unfounded accusations.
The Azerbaijan Press Council called on Turkish media organizations, journalist associations, editorial offices, and individuals who influence public opinion on digital platforms to verify information about Azerbaijan before publishing it.
The council urged them to refrain from distorting facts, circulating fabricated or decontextualized images, and using insulting, defamatory, or hateful rhetoric directed at the Azerbaijani state and people. It also called for inaccurate information to be corrected and retracted promptly.
The statement further stressed the importance of taking a firm stance against manipulative campaigns that could damage relations between the two countries.
The Azerbaijan Press Council said it would continue to maintain a principled position against the distortion of truth, the spread of disinformation, and the use of media platforms to undermine trust between countries.
