OPINIONS OF MONITORING ORGANIZATIONS COINCIDE

Panorama.am
16:13 12/04/2007

"Despite methodological differences the results of monitoring of
electronic mass media conducted by our institute, almost coincide with
the data received from other organizations", Alexander Iskandaryan,
Director of Caucasian Media Institue, declared during the meeting
with journalists. To remind, by an order of the Council of Europe in
the pre-election period this organization is conducting a monitoring
of mass media in Armenia.

According to A. Iskandaryan, before the start of the official election
campaign, the monitoring implemented from March 26 to April 6, showed
that from the point of view of coverage, as compared with other parties
the advantage of the Republican Party is general. The Republican
has not been a leader on the air of ALM For clear reasons. Tigran
Karapetyan sets the mood here.

On the air of the remaining five TV companies (Public TV, "Armenia",
"Shant", "Erkir Media", "Center") and two radio companies Public radio
and "Liberty", liable to monitoring, the leader was the Republican
party.

50% of the time of being on air was provided to that party.

Alexander Iskandaryan explains similar results with the circumstance
that the coverage of the political forces in Armenia is oriented to
information. In the words of Alexander Iskandaryan, the preliminary
monitoring was held further, during the election campaign, for
accumulating a basis and experience of holding a monitoring. Within
the coming month the organization will submit the results of its
implemented work to the society. The results will be submitted to
the mass media once in 10 days. "The objective of the observers is to
receive information by applying the scientific method. Nevertheless,
our institute will not analyze the information. The society, more
precisely you – the journalists must make the analysis", he reminded.

Nevertheless, as a result of preliminary monitoring the politician
Iskandaryan as made some conclusions.

"The provided time for political air is too little", he underlined,
saying that in the monitored period total duration of political
programs made up 500,000 seconds. Meantime, in average each TV company
has provided 1.5 hours for coverage of political problems.

We shall remind that recently Boris Navasardyan, President of Yerevan
Press Club, who was engaged in monitoring of the mass media, also
noted that national electronic mass media allot little time for the
coverage of the political problems.