FORM THE LIFE OF FREE TV
13:28:35 – 08/05/2009

JAMES HAKOBYAN
LRAGIR.AM

On these days, the Armenian TV channels constantly cover the clashes
of the oppositional and Police forces in Georgia, they show injured
people, violence scenes, interviews, opinions, live speech, rubber
cartridges and so on. Our TV channels show even the smallest starch on
the faces of the oppositional activists. This proves that the Armenia
TV broadcasting, as some people affirm, really became free.

It is a pity that the freedom concerns only our neighbors -Turkey,
Georgia, Azerbaijan but, as soon as it crosses the border with
Armenian it again retreats in front the `responsibility’. And, the
responsibility is expressed by the fact that none of the Armenian TV
channels paid attention or tried to shoot the Police officials forbid
the supporters of the opposition to stroll in the North Avenue. This
is just one example that our free TV channels ignored but the clashes
between the Georgian opposition and the Police became one of the main
reports of their news programs.

Of course, it is good for the Armenian society to learn what is
happening in Georgia. But, why our TV channels think that the Armenian
society does not want to be informed about the activities of the
Armenian opposition. The TV channels are good to show the
pre-electoral meetings of the opposition with its electorate, but the
opposition also holds press conferences sometimes. However, the TV
channels ignore these events, or even if they cover them, they only
record the fact.

For instance, when you see a press conference of the opposition in the
afternoon on the topic that on March 1the army deployed illegally in
Yerevan, than, in the evening, you watch the report of the TV
channels, you get the impression that the press conference was about
the spring sowing. But, perhaps, the problems is that the TV channels
do not consider it important to show these vents, because they know
that the Armenian society does not set hopes on their programs but it
has its alternative sources of information.

So, the TV channels may feel completely free, since they are not
obliged to present the reality in the country, as the society is able
to tell each detail of the reality to the TV channels.