Media polarization and disregard for professional ethics: expert on media problems in Armenia

YEREVAN, October 24. /ARKA/. Media polarization remains a serious problem in Armenia, Ashot Melikyan, head of the Committee for the Protection of Freedom of Speech, said on Thursday.

“This does not contribute to impartial coverage of events and the dissemination of quality journalism in the country,” Melikyan said, presenting a report on the situation with freedom of speech in the country for the third quarter of this year.

According to the report, many media outlets and journalists often ignore the norms of professional ethics, hindering the development of a self-regulatory system for the media.

As Melikyan noted, amendments and additions to the Law on Mass Media were developed in cooperation with journalistic organizations, the Ministry of Justice and a parliamentary committee to improve the situation.

The draft law has already been submitted to the government for consideration, as well as to the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe for an expert opinion.

According to Melikyan, one of the positive features of the third quarter was the drop in the number of lawsuits against media outlets and journalists with accusations of slander and insults.

"There are 6 such lawsuits in total, compared to 17 in the second quarter," Melikyan said. Among the plaintiffs are officials, in particular, the speaker of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan.-0-