President Shavkat Mirziyoyev extended heartfelt congratulations to all creative and technical workers of print and online media, television and radio channels, information and media services, publishing houses, and printing enterprises, as well as dedicated journalists and respected veterans of the field, on their professional holiday.
'I want to reaffirm that I see you, journalists who love the Motherland, possess deep knowledge and high potential, as my close friends and like-minded people. This year, this wonderful holiday has special significance for us – it falls on the days when we celebrate the 120th anniversary of the founding of the newspaper 'Taraqqiy' ('Progress') by our Jadid ancestors, which marked the beginning of the national press, and the 100th anniversary of the first experimental radio broadcast in the country,' the president said.
Mirziyoyev noted that over 10 years of building New Uzbekistan, great successes have been achieved thanks to the selfless and glorious work of the multinational Uzbek people. In particular, attention is drawn to the work being done to ensure freedom of speech in society, support mass media, increase transparency of government agencies, digitalize the information sphere, and form a modern media space.
As a result of creating a legal framework and providing benefits and preferences, the material and technical base of the sector has been strengthened, and the share of the private sector is growing every year. Today it accounts for 67% of all media outlets, of which there are about 2,700 in the country, over 90% of publishing entities, and 83% of printing enterprises. This year, the production capacity of publishing houses has doubled compared to last year, with books of about 15,000 titles published in a circulation of over 60 million copies.
According to the head of state, these data indicate an expanding scale of work on liberalizing the information sphere, increasing reading culture, supporting media activities, and growing the information services market in the country. The president also emphasized that along with a sharp increase in the flow of information, deepfake technologies have become widespread, so special attention is paid to the reliability of sources. To this end, a modern educational system covering 10,000 young people has been formed in a short time through various media projects in the field.
'We consider free, responsible, and truly people's journalism as one of the necessary conditions for the development of society and the state. New measures will be taken aimed at further expanding opportunities for effective work of media workers, strengthening the protection of their rights and interests, improving professional skills and qualifications, in particular, social protection, labor incentives, health promotion, and improving living conditions,' Mirziyoyev stated.
Based on this, the relevance of improving the activities of the Journalists' Union of Uzbekistan, increasing its status and participation in the reform process was pointed out. 'After all, our rapidly changing time itself sets new important tasks for this public association. Today dictates the need to pay serious attention to protecting the rights and interests of journalists, providing them with legal and information technology assistance, comprehensive support, and ensuring professional solidarity,' the president added.
In this regard, it is important to continue organizing Media Week events, which for the first time were held over three months throughout the republic, involving more than 12,000 representatives of the field, including young journalists.
'As the leader of the country, I am always ready to provide necessary help and support to national mass media so that, while serving as a strong bridge between the state and society, they also become a powerful spiritual force that will further unite our people on the basis of national interests,' the head of state noted.
Concluding his address, the president once again congratulated all representatives of the field on their professional holiday, wishing them good health, happiness, well-being, and new successes in their work. 'May your pen always be sharp, your word truthful and effective, and your creativity fruitful!' Mirziyoyev concluded.
Source: uznews.uz