YEREVAN PRESS CLUB WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
DECEMBER 14-20, 2012
HIGHLIGHTS:
SEMINAR ON STATE REGULATION AND SELF-REGULATION OF MEDIA
BROADCASTERS ANNOUNCED TARIFFS FOR POLITICAL ADVERTISING DURING PRE-ELECTION
PROMOTION
SUIT OF ARRHYTHMIC-CARDIOLOGICAL CENTER VERSUS NEWS.AM FOUNDER DISMISSED
“ASPAREZ” RECEIVES REPLY ON ITS SUGGESTION OF BANNING COMMERCIAL ADVERTISING
ON PTA
“INTERNEWS” PUBLISHED SECOND HANDBOOK ON JOURNALISM ETHICS
SEMINAR ON STATE REGULATION AND SELF-REGULATION OF MEDIA
On December 14-16, Yerevan Press Club held a seminar “The Current Situation
and Perspectives of State Regulation and Self-Regulation of Armenian Media”
in Aghveran, Kotayk region. The event was organized in the frames of
“Alternative Resources in Media” project
(), supported by USAID. The seminar
participants were members of the Media Ethics Observatory (MEO), heads,
representatives of media outlets and journalistic organizations, including
the ones who supported the YPC initiative of forming a media self-regulatory
system in Armenia.
The themes for discussion were activities of the MEO in 2012 and the
perspectives of online and traditional media self-regulation; suggestions
for amending the Code of Conduct of Media Representatives; the court
practice on the implementation of the RA legislation on libel and insult;
the experience of self-regulatory bodies in other countries.
The Media Ethics Observatory was formed on March 10, 2007 by the heads of
Armenian media, who supported the YPC initiative on establishing a
self-regulation system in Armenia and signed the Code of Conduct of Media
Representatives and its Appendix, the Declaration on Election and Referendum
Coverage Principles. The mission of the MEO considers complaints and appeals
regarding the violations of the Code of Conduct of Media Representatives and
making judgments on these. As of today, the Code of Conduct and the
Declaration are signed by 45 entities, representing 48 Armenian media; the
initiative is supported by 9 journalistic associations (see details at
). The MEO contacts are: [email protected];
Tel. +374 10 53 76 62, 53 35 41, 53 00 67; Fax +374 10 53 56 61. Complaints
and applications to MEO can also be addressed online, by filling out the
form in Armenian on
BROADCASTERS ANNOUNCED TARIFFS FOR POLITICAL ADVERTISING DURING PRE-ELECTION
PROMOTION
By December 18, 2012, public and private TV and radio companies of Armenia
had to publicize their tariffs for political advertising during the official
pre-election campaign for the RA Presidential Elections to be held on
February 18, 2013. As we have reported, according to the December 8, 2012 RA
Central Electoral Commission’s decision, the pre-election promotion of RA
presidential candidates will be held through January 21 – February 16, 2013.
In line with the Article 19 of the RA Electoral Code, the price for 1 minute
of paid airtime announced by the broadcasters should not exceed the average
price for commercial advertising set for the last six months and should not
be changed until the end of official campaign (see details in YPC Weekly
Newsletter, December 7-13, 2012).
According to the tariffs, defined by the Public TV and Radio Company, 1
minute of paid political advertising on the PTA First Channel costs 80,000
AMD (hereinafter all prices are indicated including VAT), on Public Radio –
3,600 AMD ($ 1 is equal to about 405 AMD). In accordance with the Electoral
Code, each presidential candidate is entitled to 60 minutes of free and 120
minutes of paid airtime on the Public Television of Armenia, as well as to
120 minutes of free and 180 minutes of paid airtime on the Public Radio of
Armenia. The procedure and schedule of providing free and paid airtime to
presidential candidates by public broadcasters will be released by CEC on
the next day after the official registration of the candidates, i.e., on
January 15, 2013.
The tariffs of some private broadcasters mainly remained the same as in the
run-up to 2012 parliamentary elections. Thus, on national TV channels, such
as “Yerkir Media” and “Kentron”, the price for one minute of promotional
airtime is 36,000 and 32,400 AMD, accordingly, while on the news TV channel
of Yerevan, “ArmNews”, it costs 18,000 AMD. On the Second Armenian TV
Channel the price of one airtime minute makes 60,000 AMD – from 10.00 till
24.00 on Sundays and from 18.00 till 24.00 on other week days (at other time
a minute costs 30,000 AMD). On the Second Armenian TV Channel the overall
duration of the paid airtime for each presidential candidate for the whole
period of pre-election promotion is limited by 270 minutes, while the daily
duration – by 10 minutes. On “Shant” TV channel, one minute of airtime costs
120,000 AMD, at the same time, each presidential candidate may receive not
more than 7 minutes a day for pre-election promotion.
The regional TV companies of Gyumri did not change their prices, either:
10,000 AMD for a minute on “GALA” TV channel and 6,000 – on “Tsayg”. “ALT”
TV channel of Armavir set a price of 3,600 AMD. At the same time, not all
the TV companies will provide air for the pre-election campaign.
Specifically, “Sosi” TV channel of Kapan and “MIG” TV channel of Vanadzor
have reported about this.
According to the Electoral Code, public and private broadcasters are
required to ensure equal access to air for all presidential candidates. The
coverage of their electoral campaign in the TV/radio news programs should be
unbiased and with no connotations. The TV/radio materials on pre-election
promotion are prohibited to interrupt with advertising on services and
goods.
As to the print media, the Electoral Code commits all newspapers and
magazines, established by state and local self-government bodies, to ensure
equal opportunities for presidential candidates during the pre-election
campaign.
In line with the Electoral Code, when publicizing the findings of public
opinion polls about the ratings of presidential candidates, the
organizations that have administered the polls must specify the name of the
organization that administered the survey, the timeframes, the sample size
and sampling method, the data collection method and place, the exact
question, the estimated error margin, the client of the poll. At the same
time, the TV and radio companies are prohibited to publish findings of the
exit polls on the ballot day before 20.00, i.e., before the electoral
precincts are closed.
SUIT OF ARRHYTHMIC-CARDIOLOGICAL CENTER VERSUS NEWS.AM FOUNDER DISMISSED
On December 14, the Court of General Jurisdiction of Achapnyak and
Davitashen administrative districts of Yerevan dismissed the suit of
“Arrhythmic-Cardiological Center of Armenia” LLC (ACCA) versus the founder
of online news agency News.am, “Media Consult” LLC (now – “News.am” LLC). As
we have reported, the reason for going to law became the article “The
Patient with a Diseased Heart Was “Puffed” at the Arrhythmic-Cardiological
Center and Has Been Implanted with Another Device”, stored on News.am on
November 23, 2010. The article told the story of the reader H.K., who
alleged that he had been cheated at the Cardiological Center, since the
doctors had implanted an electric cardiostimulator, cheaper and with a
shorter warranty period than the one he had been promised before the
surgery. The plaintiff demanded to refute the information that discredited
his honor, dignity and business reputation, as well as to compensate the
moral loss in the amount of 2 million AMD (about $ 5,500). The hearings on
the case started on February 4, 2011. The story of H.K. was also published
in “Aravot” daily, “Paying for 10 Years of Life, Got – Seven”, November 13,
2010. The ACCA had also contested this article, imposing the same demands to
the “Aravot” founder, “Aravot Oratert” LLC. On November 3, 2011 the Court of
General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts of
Yerevan approved the friendly settlement between the parties (see details in
“On Freedom of Speech in Armenia” Yerevan Press Club report for 2011 at
).
At the December 14, 2012 session, the Court dismissed the suit versus
News.am as groundless. The Court particularly stated that the respondent is
exempt of liability, since the disputed article contained a reference to the
information source and was a verbatim reproduction from it. Besides, the
Court stressed that the one-month term defined by law for submitting the
suit was missed. The Court bound the ACCA to pay off the state duty (44,000
AMD) and the respondent’s costs for the attorney (200,000 AMD).
“ASPAREZ” RECEIVES REPLY ON ITS SUGGESTION OF BANNING COMMERCIAL ADVERTISING
ON PTA
On December 14, “Asparez” Journalists’ Club of Gyumri informed that it
received a reply from the RA National Assembly Standing Committee on
Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport. The Committee had answered to
the suggestion of “Asparez” to introduce a legal ban on commercial
advertising on the Public Television of Armenia. As we have reported, on
October 31, Levon Barseghian, Board Chairman of “Asparez”, called the RA
National Assembly deputies to amend the draft of the 2013 RA Budget and the
RA Law “On Television and Radio”. The amendments were supposed to restrict
the commercial advertising on the air of the public broadcaster, and instead
– increase the budgetary allocations to PTA in the amount of 1 billion AMD
(see YPC Weekly Newsletter, October 26 – November 1, 2012).
The letter, signed by Artak Davtian, Chairman of the specialized
parliamentary Committee, particularly, noted that “the presented data (by
“Asparez”, Ed.Note) are undoubtedly disturbing, however the National
Assembly is not competent and cannot take any specific steps, except for
taking these data into consideration” (see details at
).
“INTERNEWS” PUBLISHED SECOND HANDBOOK ON JOURNALISM ETHICS
“Internews” Media Support NGO published a handbook, titled “Journalism
Ethics. Discussions and Analyses”. The book is divided in two parts: the
first one presents the cycle by media expert Mesrop Harutiunian,
“Discussions on Journalistic Ethics”. The second part contains articles by
some authors telling about specific cases of violations of professional
norms. This is the second handbook by “Internews” from the “Journalism
Ethics” series. The first book, “Journalism Ethics: Cases and Comments”, was
issued in 2011. The two handbooks are published in the frames of the
“Promoting Freedom, Professionalism and Pluralism of the Media in the South
Caucasus and Moldova” programme, co-funded by the European Union and the
Council of Europe.
N.B. Dear readers, please note that the YPC Weekly Newsletter will next be
issued in January 2013. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
When reprinting or using the information above, reference to the Yerevan
Press Club is required.
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Editor of YPC Newsletter – Elina POGHOSBEKIAN
____________________________________________
Yerevan Press Club
9B, Ghazar Parpetsi str.
0002, Yerevan, Armenia
Tel.: (+ 374 10) 53 00 67; 53 35 41; 53 76 62
Fax: (+374 10) 53 56 61
E-mail: [email protected]
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From: Baghdasarian