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

III.1.5 Job satisfaction and motivation of female editors

Our anonymous survey brought rather interesting results, seven editors as a reason for entering journalism checked the first box, stating that their journalistic career was a product of the education they received and 7 stated that they are where they are due to a coincidence of circumstances. None of female editors in our research selected the third option – the pragmatic existential reason for becoming a journalist or in other words they did not come there only for the money that the job offered.

Since majority of editors started their work in Soviet times, the most common issue for that group was Soviet censorship and lack of freedom of speech that they encountered in the beginning of their journalistic career. The best description of the censorship practice gives A.S. that started her career 31 years ago.

When I was working in the “7 days” newspaper the censorship was still around and a censor was looking after the newspaper’s content. That was the most disillusioning thing that I have encountered. I am mentioning the “7 days” newspaper as an example since there was a collective of professionals that wrote according to facts and their word had some weight. There were no bias statements to be found in that newspaper. I was writing critical articles that were based upon facts but after they were given to a censorial review the articles were coming back with white blank spaces where censor decided to ban the content. Censor was returning a beautiful article in a devastated form and that was making me really angry.

According to T.I. along with institutionalized censorship journalist in the Soviet Azerbaijan had to practice high degree of self-censorship and match her writing according to the communist ideology.

At the beginning, when I just arrived in journalism I was writing as I wanted but they kept correcting me and turning it into a template and stencil articles. I was really disappointing at the start, but then I got used to it.

Female editors, who came to the profession in the 90s stated that the most disillusioning aspect was low payment and value of journalistic work in the 90s. T.B. who works in mass media for 14 years recalls:

It was few years since we gained independence when I first came to profession I was surprised by low welfare of journalists and of those who worked in mass media. Most of them were in a state of bankruptcy and only those who loved this profession continued to work..

Among other things that fresh female journalists have encountered was brutality facing journalists in Azerbaijan. S.S. that came to journalism in the second half of the 1990s recalls:

I have started to work in 1998. At that time the most disappointing thing for me was to see how journalists were being beaten while covering some story. I mean they were going somewhere, working on their story, writing a report, uncovering something and as a result brutally beaten. As a young journalist I was considering that the same can happen to me.

Despite, initial hardships and disappointments female editors feel generally satisfied with their job. Yet, there are some that do not see editor’s office as a goal they have desired to achieve but as a necessity. M.H. considers her post as a necessary sacrifice for the well being of her newspaper where she has spent here entire career.

Editor’s chair never attracted me. I was chosen in the worst times ever, when Vyshka was in real straits. I didn’t want it. I am a creative person, I like to write and I never had anything to do with management. Ever since I was chosen to be the editor-in-chief I have no freedom. Just sit here all day and work goes on and on, one paper after another. That is why I say, I had to take this job since when I was selected in 1995 the “Vyshka” was literally sinking.

In our 2008 research with male editors we derived three types of motivation for being an editor in Azerbaijan that we can apply here as well. In the first category resided editors like N.M. praising creativity and freedom to express their own vision of how their newspaper should look like. The second category of editors believes that their actions as agenda setters might influence processes in the Azeri society and actually shape social discussion on pressing issues. U.A. editor-in-chief of a state-run journal:

“Work of an editor attracts me first of all due to agenda setting process. I select agenda, I can say what is going to be in today’s edition, what is more actual. In other words choosing process is what attracts me.

M.H. is followed by her older colleagues N.M. and R.X. that both highlighted that for them the main joy in their work is to be on top of the decision making process, selection of topics as well as of newspaper staff. Still, even though, most of the female editors involved in our research received formal journalistic education and started their career well before the break up of the Soviet Union only two of them according to their answers shared the old-school understanding of influence as they did during the Soviet times. Editor-in-chief T.I:

Importance of my work is first of all opportunity in assisting development of social thought and provide correct direction for that thought to follow. I think that this is what the editor’s work is about.

Having covered motivation of the female editors we feel obligated to offer our readers some insight into their assessment of female journalists in the realm of Azerbaijani mass media and the ways they can possibly influence processes inside of Azerbaijani society. Our research did not come up with significant differences in assessments of influence between female editors and those male editors who took part in 2008 research. However, some female editors noted that females are pushed aside by their male colleagues. F.X:

You know, none of the largest newspapers, that are read and have power and influence in Azerbaijan have women as their editors. You know, I have brothers, fostered two sons, I have a husband but yet, I want to tell you that men lack what woman has in her spirit – completeness. That’s why there I see a need for women. For example, for 25 years late editor Chalida Chasirova lead magazine Azerbaijani woman. It was a marvelous magazine that provided real portrait of women in Azerbaijan. It is still published today, but they turned it into a catalogue that serves interests of some limited group of people. That’s why I regret that today in Azerbaijani press women that have experience and can say their own word have no place. For example there is organization Writers’ union of Azerbaijan that exists already for 65 years and during that period there was no woman chairman. The same refers to the Union of journalists of Azerbaijan. Why there can’t be a woman chairman?! Or in Artists union? Why do they push out women from those organizations?!

The straight-forward answer to this question provides F.N. :

I will speak frankly with you, members of the opposite sex are really jealous. For example, if a female journalist is awarded with some sort of merit degree they start to behave rudely towards her. They are really jealous of her and start to put spokes in her wheels, trying to complicate everything for her. It happened to me a lot and it cost me a lot of nerves, time and effort to overcome that. On the other hand, I would like to note that at the same time, with few exceptions, there are not a lot of skilled female journalists. Our males talk about gender equality but it should be in all areas, including journalism.

M.H. as one of the most experienced journalist in our research recalls, that even in “better” Soviet times female journalists had to fight for their job.

This is really hard profession for a woman. In Soviet times they did not allow a lot of women to do journalism because she had to move a lot, go to remote villages, from door to door, etc. My husband at the beginning was against, he was arguing that I will have to go to different factories, enter different houses, interview different men and I insisted that that is my job.

However, not all editors agree with that formulation. T.B who came to the profession in the 90s and after Azerbaijan became independent state says that there is no difference to which sex you belong.

I don’t think it matters in Azerbaijan if you are a woman or a man. If people know your writings you will be known, if not or in case if you are a beginner then there is no difference. Journalist works with people in the society and the most important thing is how you present yourself rather than what sex you belong to. Personally when I think of my influence I know that since I am not only journalist but also a writer and a poet people will listen to me. And if I go to some bureaucrat he will listen to me, and I can ask him something.

The same answer we received from the youngest in terms of experience female editor U.X.

I think that there is no actually a difference if an editor of a newspaper or a magazine is a woman or a man. There is no difference. The only thing that matters is their skills.

Getting back to the influence assessment, female editors generally believe that they have influence in society. For example we received almost identical answers from N.M. and R.X. where they wrote that they believe to have influence on what is going on in the society. A more lengthy answer provided S.S.

We are influencing processes that go on in our society by bringing to discussion social problems that later find their solution. It gives us joy. There are sometimes issues concerning pressing social problems and I am proud to say that we see their solution. And it gives us a stimulus that somewhere, somehow we helped to solve those issues.

Not all editors, however, are positive about influence that their profession has in the society. N.Y. editor of semi-independent newspaper:

In case if you talk about influence on high ranking government officials then the influence is almost zero because they feel above everyone and thus don’t care what is written about them. They can easily shake it off. The lower ranked officials are more opened towards media, but unfortunately they do not do it for common citizens but for high ranking officials to notice them and raise their salaries as a reward. I would like to highlight, that in my opinion in Azerbaijan there is no mass media that can influence public opinion.

There were also voices, similar to those of 2008 research that saw the biggest threat to low influence of modern journalism not in current political regime in Azerbaijan but in low quality newspapers and journalists that lower trust and legitimacy of journalism institution. N.M.:

You know, in terms of influence it does not matter if you are a woman or a man. After the independence journalism profession has lost its image and went down really low. The reason to that was that people that had no idea about this area rushed in the profession and started to present themselves as journalists. In my opinion they besmirched the name of the profession and I do not think that it will be easy to remove that stain. Now are different times. In Soviet times journalists were almost untouchable, they had different status and now they are like everybody else. I do not think that journalists have big influence. I just do not see it.

And the same as in our previous research editors voiced concern over existence in Azerbaijan of extortionist journalism that even more reduces trust in journalistic profession. The newspapers that are labeled to be extortionist have primary goals and motivation different from all of the cases mentioned above since their sole motivation is extortion of money by threat of publicity. Such “journalists” thrive on multiple law deviations committed by government officials, agencies, companies and firms. After finding out such fact these people contact respective actors and demand that unless they are paid they will publish the information (Valiyev 2008)