May 3 is marked as World Press Freedom Day. The topic brought together specialists and experts of the field, who discussed the problems of the sphere and the situation in Armenia.
“Time of free press has not ripened in Armenia,” says President of Yerevan Press Club Boris Navasardyan.
In the given political atmosphere, Mr. Navasardyan anticipates new encroachments upon journalists.
“In fact, the more professional a journalist is, the more he/she is endangered,” added YPC President.
Editor-in-chief of “Aravot” daily Aram Abrahamyan quoted the report of Freedom House international organization, which stated that Armenia lacked free press since 2002, after the closure of A1+.
Mr. Abrahamyan reminded that no action had been filed in connection with violence against journalists during the parliamentary election of January 10. “A journalist cannot feel protected in a country which does not guarantee safety to its citizens,” said Mr. Abrahamyan.
Shushan Doydoyan, Director of the Freedom of Information Center, emphasized the level of journalists’ legal awareness. “Journalists must be well aware of their rights and champion them. They must appeal to courts and make lawbreakers accountable,” she said.
Mr. Abrahamyan reminded A1+’s attempts to restore the company’s rights.
May 3 is marked as World Press Freedom Day. The topic brought together specialists and experts of the field, who discussed the problems of the sphere and the situation in Armenia.
“Time of free press has not ripened in Armenia,” says President of Yerevan Press Club Boris Navasardyan.
In the given political atmosphere, Mr. Navasardyan anticipates new encroachments upon journalists.
“In fact, the more professional a journalist is, the more he/she is endangered,” added YPC President.
Editor-in-chief of “Aravot” daily Aram Abrahamyan quoted the report of Freedom House international organization, which stated that Armenia lacked free press since 2002, after the closure of A1+.
Mr. Abrahamyan reminded that no action had been filed in connection with violence against journalists during the parliamentary election of January 10. “A journalist cannot feel protected in a country which does not guarantee safety to its citizens,” said Mr. Abrahamyan.
Shushan Doydoyan, Director of the Freedom of Information Center, emphasized the level of journalists’ legal awareness. “Journalists must be well aware of their rights and champion them. They must appeal to courts and make lawbreakers accountable,” she said.
Mr. Abrahamyan reminded A1+’s attempts to restore the company’s rights.
“After appealing to local courts, A1+ took the case to the European Court, and though the ECtHR granted the company’s claim, A1+ is still off the air. I think that the company will be rejected in the upcoming tender for licenses as well,” said Mr. Abrahamyan.
Suren Deheryan, President of the “Journalists for the Future” NGO, says TV companies face a major problem today: they are losing their audience. People are searching for an alternative and reliable source of information and Internet is becoming available to larger masses.
In 2-3 years’ time Internet will be so wide-spread that there will be no point in closing a TV company or a newspaper,” noted Boris Navasardyan.
Source: A1Plus.am (May 03, 2010)