Armenian media outlets are in a state of confusion since the Armenian government declared a state of emergency.
On March 16, 2020, according to Point 23 of Decision 298, limitations have been placed on reporting coronavirus cases inside and outside of Armenia, the health condition of different people, the sources of the infection, the people whom those infected possibly came into contact with, the number of those who have been quarantined, and any information that might cause panic. Articles may only be published using information from the commanding body as the source.
Now, the authorities are following media articles and issuing warnings. Several websites have been ordered to remove articles, which, according to the authorities, may cause people to panic.
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The head of the Union of Journalists of Armenia and the editor-in-chief of 168.am, Satik Seyranyan, said in an interview, “The 6th Division of the police called me and they initially attempted to remove an article from one of our employees about Hrant Bagratyan’s Facebook post. I demanded that this order be issued in writing because we need to have a basis for this. They need to tell us what their order is based on and explain why they are demanding that we remove that article. There is a lot of confusion on different websites. They are demanding that some websites remove some articles, and in the meantime, other websites are posting the same articles. The 6th Division called again, and I said that there is a state of emergency and we are working from home. We are all in self-isolation and I am not working from the same place all the time.”
Many editors are not working from their offices or newspaper headquarters; they are working from home instead. They are not able to check the newspaper’s email. Satik Seyranyan does not exclude the possibility of the police sending her a notification via email, but she did not receive anything on her personal email.
It is strange for Seyranyan because Hrant Bagratyan is considered to be a serious professional. He was the Prime Minister of Armenia during one of the most difficult time periods. Does he care about Armenia less than those in the commanding body? “They don’t know what will cause people to panic. Nikol Pashinyan’s statements do not cause panic, such as the ones about the food supply. They are not only judging this subjectively, but absurdly as well.”
Hripsime Jebejyan
