Azerbaijani MP calls Shusha forum global hub for professional media

The 4th Shusha Global Media Forum has become an important international platform for discussing global challenges related to the media, information security, and humanitarian values, Azerbaijani lawmaker Elchin Mirzabayli said.

Mirzabayli said the forum continues to attract growing international attention each year, noting that President Ilham Aliyev's extensive exchanges with leading global media representatives have become the subject of discussion in international media outlets and analytical circles, Caliber.Az reports per local media.

According to the MP, this year's forum is taking place at a time of profound transformation for the global media landscape.

"Today, the media are going through one of the most difficult and contradictory periods of transformation in their history. At one time, the emergence of radio posed a challenge to the print press, and television challenged radio. Over time, however, this process naturally stabilized, allowing each of these segments to establish its own audience. Today's realities have created serious challenges for virtually all sectors of the media, especially traditional media. The situation is further complicated by the fact that the digital environment, to which traditional media have not yet fully adapted, is changing almost every day," Mirzabayli said.

He argued that rapidly evolving digital technologies and algorithm-driven platforms increasingly shape the media environment, creating new challenges not only for individual news organizations but also for the information security of entire countries.

"That is why the Shusha Global Media Forum can be regarded as a unique platform for professional media, which are literally fighting to transform in line with new realities while preserving their very existence," he said.

Mirzabayli also said the theme of this year's forum "The Mission of the Media in Promoting Peace: Restoring Truth and Rebuilding Trust,” captures not only regional developments but also broader global challenges facing the international media community.

He added that the current crisis of trust is among the underlying causes of many modern conflicts and stressed that restoring truth and rebuilding public confidence should be a central mission of the media. According to Mirzabayli, traditional media must remain committed to the principles of objectivity and accuracy in order to preserve their essential role in society.

By Vafa Guliyeva