ARMENIAN TV CHANNELS BECAME CIVILIZED FROM OCTOBER 15
Hakob Badalyan
Lragir
Oct 22 2007
Armenia
The responsible people of several TV channels explained their boycott
of the press clubs of Yerevan. They indeed need to assure that there
was no instruction from the government, there were purely corporative
and professional interests which made reject covering the topics of
news conferences. Indeed, it is the right of every TV company. But
amazingly they all decided to exercise their right at the same time,
from October 15, 2007. Meanwhile, for about two or three years the
TV channels covered the news conferences. Now they do not even report
on Shavarsh Kocharyan’s news conferences.
The explanations the TV companies give are no less amazing than this
unanimous expression of annoyance. "The head of state, the prosecutor
general may hold a news conference, not everyone and every time they
want," said the head of one of the news programs of the TV companies
to the media. We’ve made it! It turns out that except the president
and the prosecutor general the others need special permission to
hold a news conference. Or maybe it is worthwhile to provide state
accreditation for news conferences, to define the order and eligibility
criteria of accreditation, and only the eligible activists will hold
news conferences.
"I don’t know any TV company in any civilized country which covers
news conferences," the same professional says. It turns out that
covering news conferences is a sign of the absence of civilization.
Indeed, it is even worthwhile to state that reporters of news
conferences are gypsies and liars. In fact, the TV companies of Armenia
became civilized from October 15. We should start celebrating the
day of civilization in Armenia. It is an excellent opportunity for
another open-air concert at the Square of Republic or the Square of
Freedom. Besides, the TV channels will have something to show.
"Let us speak in facts, and the fact is that the clubs pin up ads and
earn money at our expense." Here is another explanation that author
of the abovementioned explanations gives. In fact, a TV company is
not supposed to televise the ads in the clubs. But why are they being
arbitrary? Why are they showing footages of streets of Yerevan where
ads are seen everywhere. Why do they show those ads and refuse to
show the ads in clubs? Or why do they show football matches? There
are ads in stadiums as well.
"Both you and I, the reporters are bored with the news conferences of
all those political activists," says the representative of another TV
company. What are the TV companies not bored with? The daily first 15
minutes of news programs devoted to the summary of the working day
of Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan telling in detail when the prime
minister got up, what he put on, when he got to work, whom he met,
which village he visited. In addition, nobody cares that the prime
minister in fact says the same things in all the villages that the
country needs to develop, the salaries and the retirement benefit
should rise, that everything is for Armenia. Aren’t the TV channels
bored with showing the same thing everyday?
"Generally, they are evil, those press clubs, they impose the day’s
topic. They do not help going deeper into the subject…" says the
leader of another TV company. Can you imagine? The reporters are trying
to go deep into the issue while the press clubs snatch them and drag
them off the depth of the problems. Poor TV companies! How did they
manage to stand to press clubs for so many years? In fact, October 15
should be marked not only as the day of civilization but also the day
of the victory of the TV channels against the press clubs. "Obviously,
this news conference boom does not help journalism develop and is even
harmful. How can one stand parrot-fashion primitive reports on all
channels or reports in newspapers all the time?" the representative
of the TV company continues to explain.
Thought can help journalism develop. If there is thought, the press
clubs do not matter any more. If there is thought, journalism will
develop, even if there were nothing else. And walls cannot prevent
thoughts, so no club can prevent the growth of this thought. Indeed,
this is a purely theoretical issue because it involves preference
and professional perception. But the problem of our country is that
everyone’s preference and professional perception change at once,
at the same time. I don’t know any other civilized country where
perceptions change this way.