“If we as journalists don’t stand up for each other, no one else will.”

Alex Raufoglu

Alex Raufoglu is an Azerbaijani-American journalist, researcher, and press freedom advocate who focuses on Eurasia. He has worked extensively in the South Caucasus and Black Sea Regions (Baku, Ankara, Tbilisi) for broadcast outlets such as BBC, RFE/RL, VOA, and others. Since 2008, Raufoglu has lived in the U.S. and is a Board Member of the Club of the Foreign Press Correspondents in the United States. In a conversation with Foreign Press USA, he shared his experience facing censorship and advocating for press freedom, the impact of democracy within news coverage, and the importance of journalists extending their hands to one another. 

Born and raised in Azerbaijan, Raufoglu was uncertain if being associated with media was the right path to take. When offered his first job at a local newspaper, he stepped into journalism in a moment where press was under attack during the Soviet Union occupation. Raufoglu reminisced about a phrase his father uttered to him in those early days, and how it has helped him to continue. 

“I remember having a candid conversation with my dad one day. He said, “If you speak up and become a journalist, you will have a tough life. But if you don’t speak up, you will have a tough life,’” Raufoglu says. 

After that, he decided to study about western journalism in Turkey. Only later he came back to Azerbaijan and witnessed a different reality. There were international media outlets in the country and more opportunities available.

In 2008, Raufoglu had the opportunity to move to the U.S. Once he moved to Washington D.C., he was committed to becoming a foreign correspondent and press freedom advocate. 

“When you move to a democracy (Washington D.C. in my case), you become an important part of checks and balances and you hold officials accountable. I lived in different European capitals and as a foreign reporter, you have to prove yourself and it takes a lot of time,” he says. 

The main steps Raufoglu followed to make himself at home in the U.S. were to contact people and communicate with them about his work, embrace the community, and collaborate with those he met along the way. Many of these connections could be people who could end up in the White House. 

“Washington is small, you really get a sense of the community’s reality. You understand that your next-door neighbor might become the Secretary of State tomorrow. We tend to think about American officials as superhumans, but not humans. When you come here and live with them, you are part of the community and those connections you establish with others does affect your response as foreign correspondents,” Raufoglu says. 

When asked about the importance of press freedom and making it a constant conversation amongst journalists, Raufoglu mentioned that freedom of the press shouldn’t be taken for granted. 

“If we as journalists don’t stand up for each other, no one else will… Journalists are being deprived from freedom even before they speak. Unfortunately, that is becoming a trend.”

As press enemies form alliances to detain individuals within the media, it is important to team up with other correspondents and support them against this fight. Raufoglu spoke about how the Club of the Foreign Press Correspondents in the United States has been a great resource to maintain these relationships.

“The Club has proven to be a wonderful support for foreign journalists. At the end of the day, we are here to help the world understand more about our countries and help countries understand the rest of the world.”