“Broadcast Law” – September 25-26, 1997, Yerevan, Armenia, Conference on Broadcast Law, organized by the YPC jointly with Internews Armenia and supported by the USAID, USIS and Council of Europe. Participants (150 in number) included the heads of regional and central media of Armenia, of NGOs, members of Armenian Parliament, representatives of state structures, foreign expert lawyers from the USA, France, Poland, Russia. Main theme of the Conference: discussion of Draft Law “On Television and Radio”, developed by RA National Assembly Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture and Youth Issues and included into the session agenda of RA NA. The participants concluded with the recognition of the necessity for significant alterations in the Draft Law.
“Role of the Media in a Democratic Society”– June 25-27, 1997, Sevan, Armenia, International Seminar, organized YPC and supported by the Council of Europe under “Media and Democratic Elections” Project co-financed by the EU’s Phare and Tacis Democracy Programme. Participants (more than 60 in number) represented the media, the NGOs, the press services of Armenia, Georgia, the United Kingdom, Norway, the USA. Main issues discussed: the role of media as an independent social institution in the democratic processes; summarizing the experience of reporting on pre-election campaigns in the countries of South Caucasus and familiarization with Western European practice; discussion of programs of more effective influence of media and journalists of the region upon the major political campaigns, development of cooperation forms in this area; experience exchange on the protection of the right of journalists to receive and disseminate information on major social and political problems, search for possibilities for strengthening the professional solidarity of the journalists of the region.
“Professional Ethics and Responsibility of Journalists” – June 8-11, 1997, Byurakan, Armenia, Seminar, organized by the YPC and supported by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. Participants (40 in number) included representatives of media and NGOs of Armenia and experts from Germany. Main issues discussed: the legal and ethical regulation of media, the prospects of the development of journalistic trade unions in Armenia; journalistic ethics and journalistic associations in Germany; professional ethics codes in the countries of Eastern Europe and CIS; copyright in media.
“Media in Transcaucasia” – March 8-10, 1997, Tabakhmela, Georgia, Regional Seminar, organized by the YPC under “Media and Democratic Elections” Project co-financed by the EU’s Phare and Tacis Democracy Programme. Participants (more than 40 in number) represented the media and professional associations of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the United Kingdom. The conventional formula of the meeting “three days – three goals” corresponded to Seminar procedure: each working day had its own objective and subject for discussion. These are: exchange of information and experience in survival and development of free media in the transition from totalitarian to civil society, media seeking effective solutions for similar situations; introducing technologies of covering political campaigns in Western media to journalists of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia. The main distinguishing feature of the Seminar: for the first time in nine years of the Karabagh conflict the journalists of Azerbaijan and Armenia met each other by the initiative of one of the parties, thus proving the mutual interest of the Armenian and Azerbaijani media representatives and their willingness to keep on sharing opinions.
