On September 28 in Warsaw ahead of the Eastern Partnership Summit, the book “Media Landscapes of Eastern Partnership Countries” was presented. The book was published by Yerevan Press Club with the assistance of Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The event was organized by the Poland Institute of Public Affairs and Friedrich Ebert Foundation.
The study, issued within the activities of the Media sub-working group of the EaP Civil Society Forum, raised a great interest and intensive discussions, which were attended by: some of the authors of the overview – Boris Navasardian (YPC), Nadine Gogu (Independent Journalism Center, Moldova), Oksana Volosheniuk (“Academy of Ukrainian Press” International Charitable Foundation), Arif Aliyev (“Yeni Nesil” Journalists Union of Azerbaijan), and Piotr Iwaszkiewicz, Director of Development Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Knut Dethlefsen, Director of the Representation in Poland of Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Jacek Kucharczyk, President of the Executive Board of the Institute of Public Affairs, as well as representatives of Polish expert community, international organizations, journalists. The main topics of discussion were the media situation in six EaP countries and the European Union perspectives to support the countries in overcoming issues.
“Media Landscapes” is a joint overview, supported by Friedrich Ebert Foundation, and conducted by Yerevan Press Club and partner organizations: “Yeni Nesil”; Belarusian Association of Journalists; Association and Radio “Green Wave”, Media Development Fund (Georgia); Independent Journalism Center; Internews Ukraine and Academy of Ukrainian Press. In the course of the preparation of “Media Landscapes”, unified structure and approaches were adopted for all six countries. The situation in each country is described through nine chapters: “Broadcast Media”, “Print Media”, “New Media”, “Access to Information”, “Media Self-Regulation”, “Working Conditions of Journalists”, “International Cooperation”, “Activities of Media NGOs”, “Journalism Education”. The general challenges faced by free media in the countries of the Eastern Partnership – attempts to control the Internet, to use the digitization of broadcasting to further monopolize the TV air, resorting to implicit, sophisticated forms of censorship; as well as the threats to free expression that have “national character” – political repressions against opposition journalists, use of defamation laws to exert economic pressure on critical media are reflected in the overview.
The “Media Landscapes of Eastern Partnership Countries” (in English and Russian) is available at the YPC website www.ypc.am, in “Studies” section.
