The border of journalist’s independence is limited there where employer’s interests start. The journalist can’t do more than dictated by the rules of the game. “Our freedom of speech is not unlimited, of course, while writing on political issues. But we are completely free when covering cultural topics,” says a leading journalist of “Lori” TV Lusine Sargsyan.
Journalists say it’s being more difficult to defense their own rights in small towns. In 10 years of its activity Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor office, dealing with human rights issues, has rarely received claims on rights violations of freedom of speech by Vanadzor journalists. Legal adviser Varduhi Harutyunyan of the organization considers one of the reasons to be journalists’ dependence on the authorities. Simply they know how to cover each topic.
“This is self-censorship. In this case they don’t need to be told what and how to do… This is “the best” way both to them and to their organizations to avoid problems,” says Harutyunyan. Lawyer Karen Tumanyan considers that the situation of freedom of speech and media in the republic is unsatisfactory, though according to him journalists of the local media organizations (those in provinces of Armenia) are more undefended.
The border of journalist’s independence is limited there where employer’s interests start. The journalist can’t do more than dictated by the rules of the game. “Our freedom of speech is not unlimited, of course, while writing on political issues. But we are completely free when covering cultural topics,” says a leading journalist of “Lori” TV Lusine Sargsyan.
Journalists say it’s being more difficult to defense their own rights in small towns. In 10 years of its activity Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor office, dealing with human rights issues, has rarely received claims on rights violations of freedom of speech by Vanadzor journalists. Legal adviser Varduhi Harutyunyan of the organization considers one of the reasons to be journalists’ dependence on the authorities. Simply they know how to cover each topic.
“This is self-censorship. In this case they don’t need to be told what and how to do… This is “the best” way both to them and to their organizations to avoid problems,” says Harutyunyan. Lawyer Karen Tumanyan considers that the situation of freedom of speech and media in the republic is unsatisfactory, though according to him journalists of the local media organizations (those in provinces of Armenia) are more undefended.
“At least I don’t hear our local TV channels telling news needed by the society today,” says Tumanyan. Criticizing the local authorities is the most difficult job to local media. Thus the media restricts its activities in covering only official news and “innocent” topics. The editorial office of “Loru Marz” newspaper published in Vanadzor and disseminated in Lori province is in the building of the province administration. The newspaper founder is the province administration.
Thus we can only delicately criticize the province authorities,” says the newspaper chief editor Manvel Mikoyan. Gayane Sargsyan, a journalist of “Vanadzoryan Khchankar” weekly, famous among the Vanadzor population, considers herself to be relatively free, as sometimes she covers also political issues. “We can’t represent an absolute picture of what we see or hear to our readers, but do our best to provide objective news,” says Sargsyan. According to the newspaper owner and editor Haykaz Simikyan people in Vanadzor are not interested in political topics.
“There are issues we believe there is no sense to write about. No matter how much it is covered on, nevertheless nothing would be changed in a specific field, as the problem carries republican characteristic, though existing also in our city. What of it – to blacken one more page with no result to the reader,” says Simikyan. According to him only social, environmental and cultural issues, but not elections or election frauds could be covered.
Simikyan assures that no orders are received by “Vanadzoryan Khchankar”, and today the office provides its incomes via purchase of its announcements, advertisements and newspapers, as well as through its own publishing house. But at the same time he notes that their freedom is at a level allowed by the present situation of freedom of speech in the country. In case of trespass, if not direct reproaches or harms, then mediated signals could be addressed to the business.
Mass Media Assistant in Vanadzor Municipality Khoren Gasparyan, also a journalist, considers the journalists could be free if they have financial independence. “So far the journalist or media organization has no stable financial means, he (it) could be paid and ordered. If there is no financial dependence, then at least there is concern to have personal problems constraining the media from being free. Thus want it or not the media becomes their servant, as a result, of course, suffering the objectivity of information and the freedom of media,” says Gasparyan.
Thus in such atmosphere inner censor hosts in the journalist performing its black deed and making the journalist leave the cherished journalism. These are the rules of the game followed by a lot of journalists not only in Lori, but also in other provinces and in the capital of Armenia. Exclusively for Caucasus Media News Naira Bulghadaryan is a veteran journalist working for a number of local and international media organizations: IWPR, Radio Liberty Armenian Service, ArmeniaNow.com, Hetq.am, etc.
Source: JNews.am