Says Artur Sakunts, the Chairman of Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Office.
– Mr. Sakunts, what do you think about the independence of mass media in Armenia?
– There is no independent mass media in the field of TV information, since the National Commission on TV and Radio that holds contests for broadcasting on TV fulfills the directions of the political authorities, whom to allow, which TV company and where.
– Is the whole TV broadcasting, including the private sector, under supervision?
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– The television can be divided into two parts; public and the other TV companies. The public television is a biased mass media typical of today’s political establishment’s propaganda. The other TV companies are businesses. But since there is one monopolized business area in the country, they are also definitely under political establishment’s influence, since the broadcasting contest is predetermined.
– What mechanisms are there for supervising mass media?
– According to the law, in the rules of TV broadcasting, the distribution of airtime – what percentage should be used for news, what percentage for own production, what percentage for entertainment – is defined in the way that no TV company can guarantee that, even if it wishes, it cannot. And every TV company is vulnerable from the perspective of guaranteeing the distribution of airtime. It can do only one thing, obey the orders, in order that the vulnerability is not used against it and that it doesn’t become grounds for pressure. None of the newspapers can exist on its own revenue, I mean advertisement, subscription. It is obvious that there are so-called “hidden” or secret sponsors here. The man who sponsors dictates the orientation of information.
– What does a mass media need in order to be independent?
– Being independent means advertisement, independent advertisement. In all normal democratic countries, under the conditions of free market, advertisement is the main source of income for mass media, because there is competition in the economy. So one wants his activities, his goods to be advertised more among readers, viewers and listeners, as his consumers. Our economy is monopolized, it means that there is no competition, the advertisement market has no influence, the advertisement market of both newspapers and particularly TV mass media is also controlled.
– Is there no independent mass media in Armenia at all?
– Absolutely no mass media can be independent in Armenia.
ADRINE TOROSYAN
Vanadzor
