ACCORDING TO DATA OF NEW FORMAT NGO’S MONITORING, CRITICISM OF POLITICIANS IN ARMENIAN PRESS HAS MAINLY PERSONAL CHARACTER

Noyan Tapan
May 29 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 29, NOYAN TAPAN. According to the data of monitoring
of coverage of 2007 parliamentary elections in RA press, the most
part of Armenian opposition newspapers criticizes politicians at the
personal level and with qualifications of personal character. As Movses
Demirchian, Chairman of New Format NGO, which conducted the monitoring,
reported at the May 29 meeting with journalists, from March 5 to May 15
they studied 10 periodicals having the highest rating in the country:
Hayots Ashkhar, Zhamanak Yerevan, Hayk, Chorrord Ishkhanutiun, 168
Zham, Iravunk, Azg, Haykakan Zhamanak, Pakagits and Aravot.

M. Demirchian mentioned some observations registered by them as a
result of the monitoring. Thr first is that though the newspapers in
general are opposition, nevertheless, they differ essentially in the
respect of presenting materials. According to the second observation,
publications covering election campaign distinguished themselves with
their approaches to pro-governmental forces and oppositionists. That
is, in M. Demirchian’s words, pro-governmental forces were covered
in the critical way in Zhamanak Yerevan, Chorrord Ishkhanutiun,
Haykakan Zhamanak, Pakagits newspapers and opposition (Nor Zhamanakner,
Hanrapetutiun parties, Impeachment bloc) was presented in the positive
way, while Aravot, Iravunk newspapers mainly "avoided" target praises
and criticism developed consistently.

The speaker said that in the preelection period Aravot came up not
from emotional considerations, but from positions of prospect of
Armenia’s democratic development.