When I write that Nazarbayev has failed Armenia’s EaEU membership Agreement ratification, and later, Kazakhstan’s Mejlis ratifies the Agreement, and if I do not care about my rating, I must apologize to my readers, ultimately, all people are fallible. If I disseminate that one of our television stations is “shut down”, but then, it turns out that it is an absolute lie, then moreover, I express pain for my mistake, because otherwise, I may be accused of unfair competition. However, we do not do it, because we need to disseminate a negative information, receive quite enough views, a number of “shares” or “likes”, and then, to hell with it, let it be a lie. Negative news is our, the journalists’ bread, we report what people would like to hear deep in their heart. The more, the better. On the other hand, if the news is true, we are bound to disseminate it. But without exaggerations and getting the “bliss” of unpleasantness.
What does an ordinary Armenian or any “post-Soviet” person think when seeing a “Mercedes -600” or a gorgeous house, “I wonder where he stole it, whom he “cheated” and whom he has cringed to get all of that?” What does he want to hear from us, the journalists? Naturally, to hear from us what kind of rogue, thief and robber is the owner of this “Mercedes” or the gorgeous house. Which we are doing with greatest pleasure, instilling the idea that we, together with you, dear reader, are honest people and therefore, we do not have it all. Though, in my opinion, it is a questionable compliment, anyway, in all cases, it is pleasing to the ear for the majority. It seems equally questionable to me, when we, mass media, are writing, “dollar has become this such, people, buy dollars, and then “dollar has become this much”, run people and sell dollars.” Naturally, people are running, and suffer from this running about, while a group of adventurers (to the point, obviously associated with the government authorities) warm up their hands on it. Recently, I read somewhere how a successful Russian businessman recommends his young colleague not to read and watch the news at all. “But how come? – asks the young man in surprise, – it is the truth, isn’t it?” The senior friend responded as follows: “There is no truth, there is a positive and a negative attitude to the life. The media benefits to develop the second one.”
This, of course, is an extreme approach and unfair generalization. The truth, no matter how bitter it is, should be said. But there is a way of telling it, which contributes to despair and inaction, this is the very way that should be avoided. Generally, one should not lie.
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
