Day of Information and Press of Kyrgyzstan (07/11)

Professional holiday of all employees of the media, printing, publishing houses, book trade of Kyrgyzstan — Information and Press Day — is established by Decree of the Government of the Republic № 527 of November 1, 1993 on the day of publication of the first issue of the national newspaper «Erkin Too» (now «Kyrgyz Tuusu») — November 7, 1924.

The emergence of periodicals in Kyrgyzstan occurred in 1913, when representatives of the progressive Russian intelligentsia founded and published the «Przhevalsky rural owner» in the amount of 16-18 pages, with a circulation of 1 thousand copies, in which agricultural materials were published. After the publication of 4 issues, the magazine was discontinued. However, this publication remained the first printed publication in the history of Kyrgyzstan.

On November 7, 1924, the first issue of the newspaper «Erkin Too» in the Kyrgyz language was published in Tashkent. It was signed by the Science Commission of the Kara-Kyrgyz region. The paper's first editor was E. Aliyev. This issue published an article by E. Arabaev, Chairman of the Commission on Science, which determined the historical significance of the newspaper, poem by A. Tokombaeva «Oktyabrdyn kelgen kezi», other articles and various information. S. was appointed executive secretary of the newspaper. Karachev, the editorial staff were M. Salikhov, K. Karasaev, M. Akmatov, S. Tleubergenov, who by that time had received their education in Tashkent.

From the summer of 1925, the newspaper began to be published in Pishpek. As the first publication in the Kyrgyz language, it made a huge contribution to the fight to eliminate illiteracy and played a big role in educational work, the development of fiction and journalism. At one time, «Erkin Too» also served as a teaching aid for teachers.

Since August 1927, the newspaper was renamed «Kyzyl Kyrgyzstan», later «Soviet Kyrgyzstan», and since 1991 — in «Kyrgyz Tuusu».

To date, about two thousand newspapers, magazines and other media are registered with the Ministry of Justice of the Kyrgyz Republic. Traditionally, on this day, the best journalists and printers of Kyrgyzstan are awarded state awards and prizes for famous journalists.

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