“The journalists of “Aravot” are against of sorting out their relationship with other mass media, they don’t criticize in the newspaper other media or journalists and don’t answer to the latter critics.” This is a quote from our paper’s code of conduct, which was adopted over 10 years ago, in the era when people did not fight against each other in Facebook, and there was a definite boundary between journalists and Internet users. 10 or 20 years ago, people often tried to self-establish vilifying their colleagues. But now, in Facebook harsh times, it happens almost every minute.
Why do I attach importance to this point of the code of conduct? First of all because, in my opinion, nobody is perfect in this field, therefore, none of us has the right to be another’s judge. Of course, each of us has his or her opinion on all the phenomena of life, and those can be debated (although I do not see much sense in that either, since after the debate, people still hold their view). But it is more senseless and ridiculous to debate in the following directions: “I am independent, you are not”, “you are bribed, I am not”, “I do not do orders, you do”, “I am literate, you are illiterate”, “I am moral, you are immoral”, “I follow ethical norms, you do not”. I find it ridiculous when people have such a high attitude about their virtue that they reserve the right to act as judges. Particularly in Facebook 90 percent of users are judges and sometimes even executioners. Perhaps, Mother Teresa or Albert Schweitzer had the right to act as judges, but they themselves did not do that considering it more urgent to help people in need rather than making verdicts.
In short, I suggest my colleagues to notice good articles, and reports, publicly praise them, and welcome them. And if we notice flaws (especially if it comes to young and inexperienced colleagues), not to express Khorenatsi’s lament throughout Facebook, but make comments to them personally, by a personal message.
In general, the older I get, the more I get interested in my own flaws, not of the others.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
