The “Access Zone or e-Armenia” book’s presentation took place today, on February 11. The book has been published by the Journalists for the Future NGO.  It is about the impact of the Internet on the political and electoral processes in Armenia in the recent years, the internal and external challenges threatening the security of websites, cyber wars, transformations of Armenian media, etc. Suren Deheryan, president of the Journalists for the Future NGO, as well as the book editor, is sure that governmental initiatives and continuous investments are needed to develop the infrastructure of the Web services in Armenia.

“It can no longer be considered enough to use the Internet for e-mail or for having a page in a social network. Even the spread of the Internet all over the country is not sufficient to be considered as a country with e-society,” says Deheryan and adds that, “this boundless space may provide stability, competitiveness and development of various sectors for Armenia with two closed borders.”

The book presents also the “Code of Ethics of Online Journalist” proposed by the Journalists for the Future NGO. Publication of the Code aims to promote the raise of media literacy among those who spread public information on the internet. 

The “Access Zone or e-Armenia” book’s presentation took place today, on February 11. The book has been published by the Journalists for the Future NGO.  It is about the impact of the Internet on the political and electoral processes in Armenia in the recent years, the internal and external challenges threatening the security of websites, cyber wars, transformations of Armenian media, etc. Suren Deheryan, president of the Journalists for the Future NGO, as well as the book editor, is sure that governmental initiatives and continuous investments are needed to develop the infrastructure of the Web services in Armenia.

“It can no longer be considered enough to use the Internet for e-mail or for having a page in a social network. Even the spread of the Internet all over the country is not sufficient to be considered as a country with e-society,” says Deheryan and adds that, “this boundless space may provide stability, competitiveness and development of various sectors for Armenia with two closed borders.”

The book presents also the “Code of Ethics of Online Journalist” proposed by the Journalists for the Future NGO. Publication of the Code aims to promote the raise of media literacy among those who spread public information on the internet. 

[[wysiwyg_imageupload:231:]]During the event JFF experts represented also their observations regarding the usage of the Internet as an alternative source of information at the pre-election phase of Presidential Elections of Armenia.

The “Access Zone or e-Armenia” book has been published by the Journalists for the Future NGO within the framework of the “Informed voter” project supported by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office in Yerevan and the Department of State Public Affairs Section.

Oliver McCoy, Democratization Programme Officer at the OSCE Office in Yerevan thanked the book authors for such an initiative greatly evaluating the topics covered in the book. “I appreciate existance of such kind of book since productive usage of the Internet is at a transitional phase all over the world, and each country should understand what is the way it has passed in this field and through elimination of the exiting obstacles should create wider opportunities for the citizens to use the Internet,” said McCoy in his speech.

The book will be distributed among students specializing in journalism, telecommunication, information technologies, as well as among lecturers, journalists and citizens interested in this field. The online version of the book in Armenian can be found here www.jnews.am/book-access-zone.

The “Journalists for the Future” NGO (JFF) was founded in 2007 aiming to promote and support the diversity of information, dissemination of alternative information, freedom of expression and speech, as well as the development of unbiased media.

In 2012 the “Journalists for the Future” NGO was recognized as the winner of the positive award for an NGO that best used the right for access to information by the Freedom of Information Center’s (FOICA) independent jury.

In the picture: Oliver McCoy, OSCE Yerevan Office Democratization Programme Manager (from left) and Suren Deheryan, president of Journalists for the Future NGO

Source: JFF