STATEMENT
Regarding the assessments made by the Chairman of the Commission on Television and Radio Tigran Hakobyan during the program “Interview with Petros Ghazaryan”
On May 16, 2025, while appearing as a guest on the Public Television’s “Interview with Petros Ghazaryan” program, Tigran Hakobyan, the Chairman of the Commission on Television and Radio, voiced a number of assertions distorting reality and groundless assessments targeting journalistic organizations. The head of the broadcasting regulatory body began by expressing his discontent with the Statement issued by the undersigned organizations on April 22, 2025, which criticized the Government’s April 17 decision to create a foundation named “Public Benefit Media Environment.” According to Hakobyan, this criticism was due to the fact that we were not involved in this process. Such a claim evidently distorts the substance of the aforementioned statement, as well as the core issue.
In fact, what the statement actually meant was that given the state’s decision to establish a “Public Benefit Media Environment” foundation, every type of media willing to create cultural, educational, children’s, sports, and other content of public importance and interest should have both the right and opportunity to benefit from it.
Equally unacceptable are the claims made by Tigran Hakobyan and Petros Ghazaryan on another issue, namely, that journalistic organizations fail to speak out against journalists or media that spread disinformation, demonstrate unbridled behavior, and violate professional ethics. Whether these comments result from a lack of knowledge or represent an attempt to intentionally distort reality and mislead the public is difficult to say. In any case, we emphasize that these issues remain central to our focus. We have addressed them in multiple statements, expert opinions, and other documents, which have received wide coverage and are accessible through public sources. Due to these topics, we have been targeted by journalists or media affiliated with both the government and the opposition, along with various other camps. Nevertheless, these actions cannot change our principled positions.
What is even more unacceptable is Tigran Hakobyan’s targeting of our partner organization, Goris Press Club, his efforts to devalue its activities, and the dismissive attitude he displayed. The unfamiliarity of the program participants with the activities of Goris Press Club is a problem related to their level of awareness. In the broader public sphere, however, this regional organization enjoys recognition for its journalistic, social and humanitarian, as well as local self-governance development activities. It is for this reason that this regional NGO has received a large grant from an international donor organization—a testament not only to the capacities and competence of Goris Press Club, but also to the trust it has earned over the decades. Thus, it should not turn into a matter of groundless suspicion and malignant gossip.
We urge Tigran Hakobyan to carefully familiarize himself with the activities of any NGO when reviewing their budget – otherwise, any judgment in their regard becomes extremely vulnerable. As for this state body that operates through taxpayers’ money, both society at large and we, as specialized organizations, have the right to demand that its head ensure the proper operation of the CTR, including pluralism in audiovisual media broadcasts, keep TV programming free from vulgar content, and contribute to genuine reforms in the media sector, rather than engage in self-praise and expect new punitive powers from the authorities.
COMMITTEE TO PROTECT FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
YEREVAN PRESS CLUB
MEDIA INITIATIVES CENTER
MEDIA DIVERSITY INSTITUTE-ARMENIA
PUBLIC JOURNALISM CLUB
“JOURNALISTS FOR THE FUTURE” NGO
“JOURNALISTS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS” NGO
GORIS PRESS CLUB
