Local media objectively cover presidential campaign, Head of British
ECHO NGO says

2008-02-08 13:22:00

ArmInfo. Local media are making objective and impartial coverage of the
current presidential campaign in Armenia, in general, Karen Prichard,
the head of the ECHO British NGO Office, said at Armenia-Marriott
Hotel, Friday. She presented the report on activity of Armenian Mass
Media in the pre-election period prepared at the request of European
Democracy Fund.

Karen Prichard said experts of the organization studied 743 items
telling about the campaign in the local newspapers (both in Russian and
Armenian), TV companies and Public Radio for the period from January 21
to 27. About 90% of media report on all the candidates for president.
She said that 53% of the studied items were taken from newspapers, 34%
from television and 23% from radio. Local media most of all report on
the presidential candidate, ex-president of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan
– 23% of total. Then goes Serzh Sargysan, prime minister, and leader of
RPA by 21%. 11% of the items tell about Leader of Orinats Yerkir party
Artur Baghdasaryan, 10% about a member of ARFD Bureau Vahan
Hovhannissyan, by 8% about Vazgen Manukyan and Artashes Geghamyan etc.
Karen Prichard called about 77% of the information objective and
impartial; including 87% of the objective information was on Leader of
National Accord party Aram Haroutunyan. Hence, one can call the media
coverage of the presidential campaign in Armenia rather democratic,
Karen Prichard said.