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SOMEONE IS TRYING TO FOOL PEOPLE
NANO ARGHUTYAN
Lragir.am
15:39:52 - 25/12/2008
Recently the mass media have been the focus in Armenia. There were
several reasons - the parliament hearings on the bill on the language
and the letter of the Karabakh-based youth organizations urging to
replace the old map of Nagorno-Karabakh in 1988 from the weather
forecast maps.
Unfortunately, the debates on this issue did not touch upon the main
issues, at least judging by reports on the debates.
First the hearings. A few days ago the National Assembly held hearings
on the language of our TV channels. The speakers criticized the TV
channels which broadcast shows and films in bad Armenian translation,
propagate criminal romanticism, and so on. However, the issue of
the language was central, whereas the content of programs on air and
their consistency with the law was not discussed.
In the meantime, people go home in the evening and want to watch
TV. What are they offered? For instance, on December 24. The Public
Television reported the visit of Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan to the
orphanage Zatik. The visit itself was something regular, unlike
the speech Hovik Abrahamyan made ... Addressing the orphan children
who were not there by their will, Hovik Abrahamyan said that upon
looking into their eyes he understood that children were happy there,
they felt good and comfortable. He also told the children that he
had found out the size of the annual budget of the orphanage and is
ready to boost it by 10 percent from his personal income. Afterwards
they showed children who said to wish they lived with their parents.
Then all the channels reported the opening of a supermarket in the
community of Kanaker-Zeitun, Yerevan. Nobody warned viewers that
they were going to watch a TV commercial, they showed a report about
a new grocery store in Yerevan. What is more, the first customers of
the grocery store thanked for the opportunity to buy food. As if the
people of the community had never been to a grocery store. Even the
head of the community spoke, who thanked the owners of the store,
as if they gave products for free. The first question that occurred
was who owns the supermarket which was shown in the evening news of
almost all the TV channels. In this report alone there were a number
of violations of the legislation but most importantly it was felt
that people watching TV are increasingly treated as idiots.
One more absurd report. The correspondent of Shant TV to Moscow told
on the phone about two fires in Moscow which also killed Armenians. The
host asked how many Armenians died. The correspondent said 5 Armenians
were killed in the first incident. How about the second, the host
asked? 5 people, said the correspondent. "Are they Armenians?" "No,
just tramps, most probably Russians." "Are you sure there are no
Armenians among them?" "Nooo."
In addition, none of the channels reported about the letter of the
Karabakh-based youth NGOs whom the Armenian experts joined, urging
the Armenian TV channels to remove from their weather forecasts the
maps with the former borders of Karabakh. The TV channels did not
replace the maps, and pretended as if there had been no letter.
And every day the Armenian viewers have to watch this, they have
no choice.
This happens in countries where the existence of a TV channel is not
determined by its rating, the confidence of the public but directly
depends on the political order of their owners. But even in those
countries there is the institution of the Public Television which
is sustained by the taxpayers and must be under the control of the
public. It is possible not to trust the other channels but the Public
Television must be free from politics.
However, everything in Armenia is upside down. The hosts of the news
program, reporting everyday news, may make comments, evaluations,
express emotions and even set forth accusations.
NANO ARGHUTYAN
Lragir.am
15:39:52 - 25/12/2008
Recently the mass media have been the focus in Armenia. There were
several reasons - the parliament hearings on the bill on the language
and the letter of the Karabakh-based youth organizations urging to
replace the old map of Nagorno-Karabakh in 1988 from the weather
forecast maps.
Unfortunately, the debates on this issue did not touch upon the main
issues, at least judging by reports on the debates.
First the hearings. A few days ago the National Assembly held hearings
on the language of our TV channels. The speakers criticized the TV
channels which broadcast shows and films in bad Armenian translation,
propagate criminal romanticism, and so on. However, the issue of
the language was central, whereas the content of programs on air and
their consistency with the law was not discussed.
In the meantime, people go home in the evening and want to watch
TV. What are they offered? For instance, on December 24. The Public
Television reported the visit of Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan to the
orphanage Zatik. The visit itself was something regular, unlike
the speech Hovik Abrahamyan made ... Addressing the orphan children
who were not there by their will, Hovik Abrahamyan said that upon
looking into their eyes he understood that children were happy there,
they felt good and comfortable. He also told the children that he
had found out the size of the annual budget of the orphanage and is
ready to boost it by 10 percent from his personal income. Afterwards
they showed children who said to wish they lived with their parents.
Then all the channels reported the opening of a supermarket in the
community of Kanaker-Zeitun, Yerevan. Nobody warned viewers that
they were going to watch a TV commercial, they showed a report about
a new grocery store in Yerevan. What is more, the first customers of
the grocery store thanked for the opportunity to buy food. As if the
people of the community had never been to a grocery store. Even the
head of the community spoke, who thanked the owners of the store,
as if they gave products for free. The first question that occurred
was who owns the supermarket which was shown in the evening news of
almost all the TV channels. In this report alone there were a number
of violations of the legislation but most importantly it was felt
that people watching TV are increasingly treated as idiots.
One more absurd report. The correspondent of Shant TV to Moscow told
on the phone about two fires in Moscow which also killed Armenians. The
host asked how many Armenians died. The correspondent said 5 Armenians
were killed in the first incident. How about the second, the host
asked? 5 people, said the correspondent. "Are they Armenians?" "No,
just tramps, most probably Russians." "Are you sure there are no
Armenians among them?" "Nooo."
In addition, none of the channels reported about the letter of the
Karabakh-based youth NGOs whom the Armenian experts joined, urging
the Armenian TV channels to remove from their weather forecasts the
maps with the former borders of Karabakh. The TV channels did not
replace the maps, and pretended as if there had been no letter.
And every day the Armenian viewers have to watch this, they have
no choice.
This happens in countries where the existence of a TV channel is not
determined by its rating, the confidence of the public but directly
depends on the political order of their owners. But even in those
countries there is the institution of the Public Television which
is sustained by the taxpayers and must be under the control of the
public. It is possible not to trust the other channels but the Public
Television must be free from politics.
However, everything in Armenia is upside down. The hosts of the news
program, reporting everyday news, may make comments, evaluations,
express emotions and even set forth accusations.