I. Introduction This master’s thesis represents study of female newspaper and magazine editors in Azerbaijan based on Western and Soviet definitions of journalism with explanation of local national features of this p

Table 1. Comparison of Statutory protection for freedom of mass information in the post-Soviet countries. Source: Richter 2007

In other words, practice of professional autonomy depends on editor and journalists and the level of their conformism with political realities (Jakubowicz 2009). To extend upon the views of Jakubowicz on post-Soviet regimes Russian scholar Andrei Richter states that some post-Soviet regimes like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia reached the point when definition of freedom of speech and its practical implementation match. Azerbaijan, however, despite of having one of the most liberal media legislatures (see Table 1) falls in the second group of countries where political regimes limit freedom of speech and freedom of press reducing it to “freedom to seek, receive, produce and disseminate mass information except when by legislation on the media”( Richter 2007 : 316). Such development in combination with nonexistence of independent judiciary system damages media credibility and causes drainage of the readership base bringing the process of institutionalization of journalistic autonomy in Azerbaijan to almost complete halt. Under these circumstances editors as well as ordinary journalists have to make a selection between economic survival and journalistic ethics leaving room for professionalism impediment.