IT Sphere in Armenia needs better coverage by Mass Media

ONE OF KEY TASKS OF DEVELOPMENT OF IT-SPHERE IN ARMENIA – ITS COVERAGE
BY MASS MEDIA

YEREVAN, JUNE 6. ARMINFO. Two-day discussions on the problem of
coverage of the sphere of information technologies by Mass Media were
completed yesterday in the resort town of Tsakhkadzor. The event
organizer was Enterprises Incubator Foundations.

The meeting participants, in particular, mentioned as problems of
coverage of the activity of IT-sphere lack of well-prepared
journalists for the sphere’s coverage, unwillingness of the greatest
part of IT-companies to provide information to Mass Media and the low
public demand for “intellectual information.”

“Sometimes, journalists do not know what information they want from
me. If there are specific and professional questions, they will be
corresponding answers,” said Director of Arminco provider company
Andranik Aleksanyan. In response, Mass Media representatives proposed
establishing an institution of press secretaries at the unions linking
various directions of the IT-sector, which would popularize
IT-information and form public interest in the sphere, on the whole.

Director of Enterprises Incubator Foundation Bagrat Yesayan pointed
out the necessity of upgrading the public awareness of the situation
in the IT-sector from the point of view of introduction of native
IT-developments and solutions in various sectors of economy, state
government and everyday life of the citizens, hereby creating an image
and an artificial agiotage in public. The meeting participants pointed
out that it was due to such artificial agiotage in Mass Media that
Bill Gates launched production in an “empty place” in essence – in
Turkey.

Summing up the discussions, the participants expressed readiness to
exert efforts to form an institution of press secretaries, organize
seminars on the problem of distribution of information on the sector
and to more communicate with journalists to solve the above tasks.

It should be noted that according to official data, IT-sector of
economy in Armenia in 2004 grew 10% – to $50 mln, however, unofficial
data day that the volume is $150-$300 mln. The greatest part of the
production is exported.