Mirziyoyev Congratulates Journalists on Uzbekistan Press Day

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev addressed press and mass media workers on 26 June 2026 with congratulations on the occasion of their professional industry holiday. In his address, the head of state announced new measures of state support for the journalistic community and summarized the development of the media sphere over past years.

The president noted that this year's Press Day is celebrated in a special year, as 2026 marks 120 years since the publication of the first Uzbek newspaper, Taraqqiy, founded by Jadid enlighteners, and 100 years since the first experimental radio broadcast in the country.

Mirziyoyev cited data characterizing the current state of the media industry. According to him, there are currently about 2,700 mass media outlets in Uzbekistan, of which 67 percent belong to the private sector. Private businesses also account for more than 90 percent of publishing structures and 83 percent of printing enterprises. In the current year, the production capacity of publishing houses doubled compared to last year, with books of about 15,000 titles published in a circulation of over 60 million copies.

Special attention in the address was paid to the threat of deepfakes. The president pointed out that along with the sharp growth of information flow in the media environment, technologies for creating fake content are spreading ever wider. In response to this, a media education system covering 10,000 young people has been formed in the industry within a short time.

Mirziyoyev announced that additional measures will be taken in the interests of the journalistic community, including strengthening the legal protection of media workers, labor incentives, improving housing conditions, and health maintenance measures. The president also spoke in favor of increasing the role of the Union of Journalists of Uzbekistan, calling the tasks of legal protection for representatives of the profession and ensuring professional solidarity urgent.

In addition, the head of state expressed support for continuing the Media Week project, a series of events that for the first time covered the entire republic over three months with the participation of more than 12,000 industry representatives, including young journalists.

Concluding the address, Mirziyoyev congratulated all industry workers honored with state awards in connection with the holiday and expressed readiness to personally provide support to national mass media in their role as a solid bridge between the state and society.