Azerbaijan Press Council criticises media coverage of Idrak Lyceum incident

Azerbaijan’s Press Council has criticised media outlets for what it described as unethical reporting practices following a recent incident at the private Idrak Lyceum in Baku, saying interviews with a student and the dissemination of related information were unacceptable.

In a statement, the Press Council said the actions violated the Code of Ethics of Azerbaijani Journalists, particularly provisions related to the protection of honour, dignity and privacy. It cited rules requiring journalists to respect children’s rights and to refrain from interviewing minors without the consent of their parents or legal representatives.

The statement stressed that, except in cases of overriding public interest, information and photographs relating to children’s private lives should not be published, and that the identities of children involved in tragedies or criminal incidents must be protected.

According to the Press Council, these requirements were not observed in media materials related to the Idrak Lyceum incident. It added that the interview conducted with a student and the behaviour displayed during the interview also breached ethical standards concerning the protection of a journalist’s and media outlet’s reputation.

The council underlined that “public interest” should not be confused with information that is merely “of interest to the public,” noting that the reporting in question did not contribute to clarifying the objective nature of the incident.

It called on journalists to avoid emotionalism and haste when covering sensitive and high-profile events, urging them to demonstrate professional responsibility, adding that sensitivity is a key measure of journalistic professionalism.

Aytac Zeynalova