"New muzzle" for television stations
Tomorrow the heads of 16 television stations of Armenia will sign a "Charter-Principles of Ethics of Television and Radio Broadcasters in Armenia". The author of the initiative is the Public Council headed by Vazgen Sargsyan and it came as a surprise for many representatives of the field.
"Such documents should generally be created by the initiative of journalists and mass media outlets because signing any document on ethical norms must be voluntary; otherwise, it will not work. I don't understand why the Public Council has taken on the responsibility. None of the mass media outlets asked the council to get involved in this matter," president of Yerevan Press Club Boris Navasardyan told "A1+".
He advised mass media outlets to not go deep into the document and the Public Council to not get involved in such matters.
Head of "ALM" (Alternative Medium) Tigran Karapetyan found out about the document and rejected it from the start. "First, this is not a charter, but a clever step. Whatever the Public Council presents is unacceptable to me. Heads of political parties can't form public opinion. They should step out of their party and get involved in public activities. That is when I will accept them."
Tigran Karapetyan is aware of the document and has even found lines that refer to him. Point 20 of the Charter states that there should be avoidance of causing unpleasant and negative emotions. "They say we shouldn't say bad things because that creates negative mood among society. This refers to me because I say the government is leading wrong policies and is not forming future taxpayers."
Mr. Karapetyan doesn't consider the emergence of such a Charter by chance. "They are going to hold a tender for frequencies in June. Now they are telling television stations that they may have problems, if they don't join the Charter. I'm not afraid of such things."
President of "A1+" TV Mesrop Movsesyan evaluates the Charter created by the Public Council as a "new gag" for television stations.
"With these documents, the authorities are trying to legalize their illegal control over television stations. With this document, shedding light on states of emergency like the terrorist acts of October 27 and the tragic events of March 1 will be called "causing panic". With that pretext, all television stations will refuse to shed light on the events. The 19th point of the document will prohibit television stations from shedding light on mass events such as rallies and marches. Heads of television stations signing this document will conceal their serfdom and will refuse to fulfill their professional duties," said Movsesyan.
According to Mesrop Movsesyan, this document also sets limits on finding sources of information. "That is an assault against freedom of speech". Movsesyan is certain that a serious person did not take part in creating this document, which shows the authorities' panic.
"The opposition camp is active, the people are getting more and more rebellious and it is expected to see a new wave of protest in economy. The authorities are creating these kinds of documents to suppress that."
