On March 19-20 at the Sevan a working meeting was held, titled “Prospects of Media Self-Regulation System Formation in Armenia”. In the meeting heads of national and regional media, representatives of journalistic and international organizations took part. The meeting was organized by the Association of Editors-Publishers “Armenian Press” with the support of the Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation-Armenia.
The presentation of Markham Bench, the Executive Director of the World Press Freedom Committee (USA), was devoted to the international experience of the media self-regulation. The findings of the survey “Prospects of Introducing Media Self-Regulation System in Armenia”, administered by Yerevan Press Club in November 2004 among 109 representatives of the “fourth estate”, were presented (see details in YPC Weekly Newsletter, December 17-23, 2004).
The main subject of the discussion was the establishment of various self-regulation bodies, their advantages and disadvantages in the view of the present situation of the Armenian media. The debate resulted in the adoption of the Memorandum, signed by all 36 participants of the working meeting.
In the Memorandum the launch of media self-regulation system is announced. Since, along with the journalistic associations and representatives of the public, the self-regulation structure must be initiated by the owners and founders of media, it was decided to resume and expand the activities of the Mass Media Association of Armenia, representing the interests of media industry. The Association is to unite all media types; however, to take into account their specific interests, it will be made up of four sections: television; radio; print media; news agencies and online publications. A working group was formed to produce the new statutes of the organization.
