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 4. Gatekeeping theory…………………………………………………………………………………22

Source: Communicationtheory.org
Table 5. Newspapers and magazines participating in the research……………………………………….28

Source: Valiyev 2011
Table 6. Selected characteristics of female editors…………………………………………………………29

Source: Valiyev 2011
Table 7. Socio-demographic characteristics of selected editors.…………………………………………..34
Table 8. Types of Editors……………………………………………………………………………………..68

1 In our 2008 research one of the selected newspapers – ruling party’s Yeni Azerbaycan had a female deputy managing editor yet due to staff changes in a form of appointment of new editor-in-chief [appointed in March 2008] she hesitated to participate in our research.

2 Yusifova Sevil, “Elegant Signatures”, Baku, Elm ve Tehsil, 2010

3 The abbreviation stands for Commonwealth of Independent States - the organization founded on 8^th of December 1991 on the ruins of the Soviet Union and loosely uniting former republics of the Soviet Union with the exception of Georgia and the Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

4 Diamond, “Thinking about Hybrid Regimes: Elections without Democracy,” 21-35

5 The National Television and Radio Council on November 24, 2006 revoked the licenses of radio and TV station ANS TV and ANS CM, under pretext for "repeated violations of the law and ignorance of the warnings made​​."

6 At the moment according to the statistics of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs there are about 3500 mass media outlets in Azerbaijan. Majority of that number constitute newspapers and magazines, 30 are information agencies and 44 are electronic mass media.

7 http://russian.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav022509aru.shtml

8 Michael Gurevitch and Jay G. Blumler, “Mass Media and Political Institutions: The Systems

Approach,” in George Gerbner, ed., Mass Media Policies in Changing Cultures (London:

Wiley, 1977), 263.

9 „Diskuse o tom, zda lze chápat žurnalistickou činnost jako profesionální aktivitu, která má svá pevná pravidla sdílená drtivou většinou novinářů, se vede intenzivně již minimálně poslední století, kdy začalo být kritérium profesionality chápáno jako institucionální nástroj její společenské prestiže

10 Elliot, Philip (1972). The Sociology of the Professions. London, Macmillan. Richard, H. Hall. (1968: 92-104) “Professionalization and Bureaucratization”. American Sociological Review. Vol. 33, No 103. Keith M. MacDonald (1995). The Sociology of the Professions. London, Sage. Geoffrey Millerson (1964 a). The qualifying Associations. A Study in Professionalization. London, Routledge & Kegan Paul. Geoffrey Millerson

(1964 b) “Dilemmas of Professionalism”. New Society. No 4, June 1964. Terence J. Johnson (1979). Professions and Power. London, Macmillan. Harold L. Wilensky (1964: 137–158) “The Professionalization of Everyone?” The American Journal of Sociology. Vol. LVV, No. 2.

11 Perestroika – attempt to reform political and economical system of the USSR during the 1985-1987 initiated and closely associated with the last General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev.

12 Nomenklatura – stands for a category of people within the Soviet Union that held various key administrative positions in all spheres of the society: party, government, industry, agriculture, education and whose position was granted only with approval of the local, republican branch or all-Soviet Union level Communist party.

13 Source: Siebert's Four Theories of the Press: A Critique. http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/2152/siebert.htm#communication

14 Z materialistického hlediska argumentoval Lenin jelikož všechny společnosti jsou ekonomicky, politicky a kulturně rozvrstveny podle třídních hranic, představa, že v žurnalistice muže existovat jakákoli absolutní pravda, je zcela falešná. Buržoazní novináři psali to, co bylo pravdivé pro buržoazii, ale nemuselo to být pravdivé pro kohokoli dalšího. Halit jejich práci do zdání objektivity bylo podle Lenina ideologickou fikcí, jejímž cílem bylo zajistit široké společenské přijetí dominantního buržoazního světového názoru.

15 This idea is derived from a story told by Melek Velizade – female correspondent for daily newspaper Zerkalo. While working on an article covering bad conditions in Shemakha observatory Velizade told the researcher that on many occasions she was approached with a question, who is lobbying the article. The last straw to cause journalist’s irritation was the same question given by the responsible editor of the newspaper.

16 P.i. for example can be illustrated on the case of a publication in oppositional newspaper Azadliq affiliated with the Popular Front of Azerbaijan Party about ruling party candidate to the Parliament – Bakhtiyar Sadigov named “Bakhtiyar’s similarity to Vartan”. There authors wrote that an Armenian prefect appointed in one of occupied regions of Azerbaijan is Sadigov’s relative and they constantly keep in touch with each other on a phone. The state-run media retaliated by opening a smear campaign against Ali Kerimli, leader of the Popular Front of Azerbaijan Party where they insinuated that he belonged to a sexual minority. (Valiyev 2008)

17 Among most negative effects can be listed separation of Azerbaijani territories on Northern Azerbaijan – modern Azerbaijan Republic and the Southern Azerbaijan – the Azerbaijan province of Iran; Christianization of Azerbaijani territories through encouragement of Armenian settlers from Turkey and Iran later transformed into Karabakh conflict.

18 In fact, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic established on May 28, 1918 proclaimed women’s suffrage two years earlier than the U.S. Congress.

19 http://www.womenpress.az/news/a-213.html

20 In the 1960 a statue called Freed (Liberated) Woman was erected in Baku to commemorate emancipation movement of Azerbaijani women and sacrifices they had to make to achieve it. Ironically, the building behind the statue is occupied by the office of the Iranian National Bank.

21 For more information on Zahra Kerimova’s biography please see