ARMENIAN OFFICIAL SAYS CHANGES TO MEDIA LAW TO MAKE REPORTERS MORE RESPONSIBLE

Mediamax, Armenia
March 23 2010

The changes suggested in the law on "Mass Information Means" are meant
to balance the rights for freedom of speech and protection of honour
and dignity, Director of the Public Relations and Information Centre
under the Armenian President’s Apparatus Ara Saghatelyan stated today.

Mediamax reports that he stated that the need of amendments, which
provide for bringing a journalist or a media outlet to administrative
responsibility on a charge of offence or bias, has appeared a few
years ago.

"Feeling of responsibility and confidence in protection of dignity
should be formed in the society", Ara Saghatelyan stated. According to
him, "to feel social responsibility is to be a normal mass information
means".

Speaking about external factors, Ara Saghatelyan stated that
"Armenia does not carry out an information war, it is in information
confrontation".

He noted that the situation in terms of information security develops
every day and one should be cautious and careful, since the "society
makes conclusions from the information it reads".