ECHO RESEARCH PUBLISHED INTERNAL RESULTS

Panorama.am
13:47 11/02/2008

On 08 February International ECHO Research Company published a report
of the media monitoring in Armenia.

The mission of the monitoring was to find out whether the pre election
campaign is equally covered.

The experts of the ECHO Research analyzed 390 newspaper issues, 256 TV
reports and interviews and 97 radio reports and interviews. The results
of the observation showed that Armenian media is heterogeneous enough.

"The results of the research carried out showed that media in
Armenia is independent. The TV stations broadcast the materials on
the candidates in balance, and the press keeps the diversity also,"
said Karen Prichard, the head of the ECHO Research Company.

According to the company they covered basically the news programs and
interviews. The TV stations included in the monitoring are "Public
TV", "Armenia", "Second Armenian TV", "Yerkir-Media", "Kentron", and
"Shant".

Radion stations were also covered, as for "Public Radio", "Liberty",
and 12 newspapers- "Voice of Armenia" (Golos Armenii), "Nation" (AZG),
"Armenian World" (Hayots Ashkharh), "Aravot", "Armenian Republic"
(Hayastani Hanrapetutyun), "Armenian Times" (Haykakan Zhamanak),
"New Times" (Novoye Vremya), "Iravunk", "168 Zham", "Hayq", "Zhamanak
Yerevan", "Forth Government" (Chorord Ishkhanutyun).

In the results of the report it became obvious that the TV coverage
was democratic, as they kept the balanced broadcasting. The situation
is quite different in the press publications as they conduct non
democratic policy. According to the research, the Armenian Public TV
broadcasted oppositional and governmental candidates rather equally.

According to the company representatives Levon Ter-Petrosyan was more
televised than another leading candidate Serzh Sargsyan.

Below is presented the conclusion of the report:

"To conclude, Armenia is country which is in its transition period. The
mass media is not ideal.

However media is not menaced by the political forces, and if it is
and if it comes under pressure, the pressure is reported on".