“PRESS CLUB” IS BACK ON AIR
On November 11, this season’s first talk show of the “Press Club” cycle, dealing with journalistic ethics, will go on air on “Yerkir Media” TV company. The current cycle of the weekly TV talk show is produced by Yerevan Press Club with the support of the Deutsche Welle Academy. A concrete ethical issue will be considered by two discussants, defending opposite perspectives, and four experts.
Watch “Press Club” on “Yerkir Media” on Mondays at 18.00 (with the rerun on Saturdays at 10.55).
ETHICAL ASPECTS OF COVERING SIGNIFICANT TOPICS
On November 6-7, the international conference, “Ethical Reporting on Issues of Public Interest”, was held in the Yerevan Congress hotel. The event was organized by Yerevan Press Club with the support of the Deutsche Welle Academy. Representatives of international organizations, state structures, expert community, media and journalistic associations in Armenia, as well as experts from Georgia and Moldova took part in the event. Reiner Morell, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federative Republic of Germany, Bettina Ruigies, Project Manager for the South Caucasus Deutsche Welle Academy, and Boris Navasardian, President of Yerevan Press Club, made opening speeches.
The panel discussions were devoted to the following topics: ethical aspects of reporting on EU-Armenia relations (moderator – YPC President Boris Navasardian, speakers – Editor of Eastern Partnership Weekly Newsletter Heriknaz Harutyunian, author and anchor of “Urvagits” program on “Kentron” TV Petros Ghazarian); the ethics of civic activism coverage (moderator – Head of Media Diversity Institute-Armenia Artur Papyan, speakers – member of civic initiative “Army in Reality” Tsovinar Nazarian and YPC project coordinator Mikayel Zolian); copyright and new media (moderator – lawyer Ara Ghazarian, speakers – media expert Mesrop Harutyunian and Head of “Journalists for the Future” NGO Suren Degherian). The Executive Director of the Moldovan Association of Independent Press Petru Makovei and Chairman of the Board of Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics Zviad Koridze also took part in all the three panels, presenting the experience of their own countries and the international best practice.
In conclusion, the prospects for media self-regulation in the current conditions of technical progress were discussed, for now citizens not only consume news, but also generate it.
NEWS.AM CORRESPONDENT INJURED IN DETENTION OF PROTEST ACTION PARTICIPANTS IN DOWNTOWN YEREVAN
On November 5, an incident happened to Gayaneh Aprunts, correspondent of the News.am, in downtown Yerevan Mashtots Avenue during the dispersal of protest action, organized by the oppositional movement United National Initiative. The journalist, shooting the happenings, was in the way of policemen, detaining an action participant: “I was shooting the traces of explosions on the asphalt, with a jam next to me: police officers were trying to detain Shant Harutyunian (leader of the movement – Ed.Note) and other activists. I felt people approach me, turned around and immediately felt the weight of a number of people on me. I hit my head against the car windshield; I felt a blow in the eye and fell down. The camera fell off my hands and broke. I was helped up onto my feet.” Gayaneh Aprunts’ report on the happenings was published in the article “News.am Reporter Attacked in Clashes in Yerevan”, posted on News.am on November 5, 2013. The video of the incident, shot by the Gyumri “GALA” TV company, was attached to the story.
COORDINATOR OF ARMENIA TODAY CELEBRATED HALLOWEEN IN POLICE STATION
On October 31 evening, the coordinator of ARMENIA Today Argishti Kivirian was taken to Arabkir Police Department of Yerevan along with three civic activists. According to the ARMENIA Today information, dated November 1, 2013 (“Coordinator of ARMENIA Today and Activists Were Taken to Police Station for Attempt to Present President with Pumpkin”), the activists brought an empty pumpkin as a gift to the RA President at his office on the occasion of Halloween celebrations. Handing the pumpkin to the police officers, guarding the residence, they continued their way, however were detained not far from the residence, the article reports. According to the ARMENIA Today, the activists were detained in the Police station for over 4 hours and were later released, with an administrative action brought against them. Further the article states that the participants of this action aimed to complain against the actions of the Police, considering them illegitimate.
