THE STATE OF MEDIA FREEDOM IN ARMENIA ACCORDING TO OSCE
AZG Armenian Daily
22/12/2007
OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)
published Needs Assessment Mission Report ahead of the 19 February
2008 Presidential Election in Armenia. The report also involves the
state of media freedom in Armenia.
According to it, there are about 60 television channels and about 20
radio companies, as well as more than 100 print media publications
(including two state-funded newspapers) in Armenia. However, television
is the most important and influential source of information. The
public service broadcaster H1 is regarded as the most influential
media outlet in Armenia and reaches the whole country. Some other
private channels cover large parts of the country.
Print media has a limited circulation outside Yerevan.
Despite the relatively high number of media outlets in Armenia,
a lack of diversity in viewpoints presented by broadcast media has
been criticized by international organizations dealing with freedom
of expression, including the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the
Media. Factors affecting the media situation include a high level of
influence over editorial lines by political and business interests,
financial weakness of media outlets because of low advertising
profitability, and legal actions taken against journalists in recent
years.
By law, all broadcast media have to provide equal airtime to
contestants during the official campaign period. Recent amendments
to the Law on Television and Radio
Broadcasting extended this obligation to the period before the start of
the election campaign. The amendments also included the obligation to
provide impartial and nonjudgmental information about the pre-election
campaigns of candidates in their information programmes. Campaign
broadcasts on TV and radio have now to be explicitly identified
as such.
The amended law has also clarified the role of the National
Commission for Television and Radio (NCTR), which monitors the
broadcast media’s compliance with legal procedures. The NCTR is now
entitled to file a court case against TV or radio companies that
violate legal provisions.
The CEC is obliged to ensure equal access for contestants by random
selection of broadcast slots and order of appearance for both free
and paid airtime.
The relevant lottery will be held on 22 January 2008.
Each presidential candidate is entitled to use up to 60 minutes
of free airtime on public television and up to 120 minutes of free
airtime on public radio. In addition, each candidate may use paid
airtime on public television and public radio: up to 120 minutes and
up to 180 minutes respectively. Rates for political advertisements
must be publicly announced, consistently offered to all contestants
and may not be changed during the election period. Rates were set in
November 2007 and range from 100,000 AMD (approx EUR 210) to 130,000
AMD (approx EUR 280), as in the May 2007 parliamentary elections.
Some OSCE/ODIHR NAM interlocutors expressed concerns about access
to the media before the official start of the campaign on 21
January 2008. Some alleged that obstacles exist for certain
opposition representatives to gain access to media and that
an unofficial blockade against their presence on the media,
especially on the public broadcaster H1, is being enforced. The
example of Gyumri-based TV station Gala was cited which has come
under scrutiny from tax authorities, allegedly because it screened
a speech by Levon Ter-Petrossian at the end of September in which he
announced his intention to run in the presidential election. However,
the Chairman of the NCTR as well as the Executive Director of H1
dispute these allegations and explicitly stated their aim to provide
equitable access to candidates, particularly once it is known who the
nominated candidates are. Especially H1 vows to fulfill its role as
public broadcaster and to thoroughly cover the presidential election
including possible debates between candidates and a focus on tabulation
and transmission of results on Election Day.
A local non-governmental organization, the Yerevan Press Club, is
conducting media monitoring of the broadcasts of seven television
channels, including H1, and the public radio from 1 October until 15
December, and also plans to monitor the official campaign period. The
Office of the Press Secretary of the President is conducting monitoring
of the political broadcasts of six private television channels.
OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights is going to
send to Armenia 24 log-time and 250 short-time observers.