California Courier
February 2, 2007
TIME Magazine Distributes Documentary;
Adopts Policy on the Armenian Genocide
The Feb. 12, 2007 issue of the European edition of TIME magazine
— available in newsstands throughout Europe as of Feb. 2nd — carries
na full-page factual announcement on the Armenian Genocide, along with
a complimentary DVD, in English and French, which contains a
compelling 52-minute documentary on the Armenian Genocide by French
director Laurence Jourdan. The DVD also includes a 46-minute interview
with Dr. Yves Ternon, a leading expert on the Armenian Genocide.
Both the DVD and the full-page ad were provided free of charge by TIME
Europe (circulation 550,000) after realizing that its staff, without
proper review, had inserted in the June 6, 2005 issue of TIME Europe a
Turkish DVD as a paid advertisement under the guise of promoting
tourism to Turkey. The Turkish DVD, paid for by the Ankara Chamber of
Commerce, was a deceitful attempt to spread malicious lies and
denialist propaganda on the Armenian Genocide.
To correct this error, TIME (Europe) published, in its October 17,
2005 issue, a critical page-long letter to the editor jointly signed
by the following five French organizations: Memoire 2000, the
Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF),
Comité de Defense de la Cause Armenienne (CDCA) — ANC France,
J’Accuse, and the Movement Against Racism and for Friendship Among
Peoples (MRAP). In an Editor’s note appended to the letter, TIME
apologized for disseminating the Turkish DVD.
In December 2005, these five organizations along with the
Switzerland-Armenia Association (SAA), the French Association of
Armenian Lawyers and Jurists (AFAJA), the EUROPEAN – ARMENIAN
FEDERATION for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD), and The California
Courier newspaper reached an amicable agreement with TIME executives
ensuring that the facts of the Armenian Genocide are not distorted
again in the pages of the magazine.
Subsequently, Michael Elliott, the Editor of TIME International,
issued the following public statement: "Please be advised that, in
common with other leading news organizations, it is TIME’s policy and
practice to refer to the Armenian genocide as a historical fact.
Accordingly, I will be informing our correspondents and editors that
the term ‘Armenian genocide’ should be used without qualification."
The above mentioned organizations are fully satisfied with the
corrective steps taken by TIME magazine. They are also pleased that
the Turkish attempt to distort the facts of the Armenian Genocide,
supported by considerable financial resources, was properly countered
as a result of these organizations’ close cooperation with TIME which
placed journalistic ethics above all other considerations.
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress