“The document mentions the existing situation in the mass media and I would like to draw attention to the way the National Commission on TV and Radio (NCTR) is formed. As we know, the parliament and the president nominate the candidates for members of the commission. We think that the European organizations have said lots of times that it is necessary to draw a mechanism of forming NCTR, so that representatives of all mass media currents will be included in it, aiming eventually at masses’ participation in the commission”, said German Ambassador to Armenia Hans-Jochen Schmidt, according to “Arminfo”, adding that unfortunately, there was some controversy concerning that issue. That was how the ambassador responded to the draft National Strategy on Human Rights Protection in Armenia, regarding which parliamentary hearings have been conducted the other day.
It wasn’t the first time the German Ambassador was making a principled and absolutely adequate assessment. Let me remind that speaking of the election fraud at 1996 presidential election, he aroused the dissatisfaction of the current opposition. In this case the problem also obviously exists and he added a constructive element to the rather abstract and uncertain discussion of the “national report”. It is obvious that NCTR is a tool for political censorship – not allowing undesired TV channels to broadcast, the establishment terrifies TV channels through the commission, so that they will not venture to show any sign of political independence. Otherwise they will end up where “A1+” did. Frankly I should say that NCTR is not the only tool in that regard – the establishment may use, for example, the “repressive leverage” of the tax inspectorate, if needed.
In order that NCTR is not the establishment’s puppet, it shouldn’t be appointed exceptionally by the president and the parliament that is in his pocket. The ambassador observes that there should “be representatives of all mass media currents”. Although the definition is rather vague, God knows how many currents there are, the idea is generally clear. I think half of the commission must be appointed by the president or the parliament (that is basically the same) and the other half by some famous journalistic organization. It seems there is no such organization in Armenia at the moment that is trusted by the majority of the society and the mass media. Not only the authorities, but also we, the journalists, are to blame for that. But even if there was such, nevertheless, the law on forming NCTR must be adopted by the parliament and I am convinced that members neither of this nor the next National Assembly will do that.
That is why Ambassador Schmidt delicately speaks of “some controversy”.
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
