Azat Artsakh – Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR)
May 5, 2004

SITUATION “NEITHER PEACE, NOR WAR”

On April 27-29 a seminar was held in Stepanakert on “Coverage of
problems of ethnic minorities in the mass media”. The seminar was
organized by the representatives of the London institute of variety of
mass media together with the press clubs of Yerevan and
Stepanakert. In the seminar participated the director of the institute
Militsa Pestic, the editor of the news bulletin of the press club of
Yerevan Elina Poghosbekian, reporter of the newspaper “Republic of
Armenia” Galust Nanian, reporter of the newspaper “Iravunq” Argine
Harutyunian, as well as 15 journalists representing the mass media of
Karabakh, and the chairman of Stepanakert Press Club Gegham
Baghdassarian. The seminar lasted for three days during which problems
of ethnic, religious and sexual minorities, as well as the disabled
and socially insecure classes of the society were
raised. Representatives of the above mentioned groups were also
invited to speak about their problems and express their own attitude
towards the mass media. In particular, the chairman of the Union of
Blind People S. Vardanian complained of lack of newspapers and books
for blinds and also of the fact that the only available mass medium
for blind people radio provides more information on international
events than the situation in Armenia and Karabakh. The chairman of the
Union of Russians and Russian Speaking Citizens of Karabakh Lyudmila
Petrossian expressed their wish to have the Russian version of the
news on Artsakh public television. During the seminar there was a
suggestion to teach the journalists to sell to the editor the article
or idea of interest for him. In the West this is a common practice. To
the seminar were invited the editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Azat
Artsakh” Marcel Petrossian and the director of the public TV and radio
company Garik Grigorian. The journalists managed to sell 6 of the
presented 8 articles to them. The journalists who participated in the
seminar expressed the opinion that such undertakings are necessary
because along with raising the level of professional qualification
these allow to view differently certain questions which may be
considered unimportant in everyday work.

EVIKA BABAYAN

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress