Russkiymir, Russia
Dec 27 2023
ARMENIAN UNION OF JOURNALISTS CRITICIZED SUSPENSION OF SPUTNIK RADIO BROADCASTING
The Union of Journalists of Armenia called the decision to suspend the broadcast of Sputnik Armenia radio disproportionate, RIA Novosti reports.
Yerevan suspended the license of the Sputnik Armenia radio for a month. The regulator clarified that two administrative cases were opened agaisnt the radio. One of them concerns the Friday with Tigran Keosayan program, aired on November, 17. The defendant in the second case is the Abovyan Time program; it was also fined the equivalent of 1,200 dollars.
Armenian journalists called the administrative proceedings against the Abovyan Time program a manifestation of double standards. In their opinion, the broadcasts of many other programs are much more problematic; they contain calls for violence and false information, but their broadcasting was not suspended.
As for the Friday with Tigran Keosayan program, the commission treated the words of the presenter addressed to the head of the Armenian government as ''an insult to the Armenian people.'' The Union of Journalists called this approach unclear since it is not the commission's responsibility to protect the honor and dignity of public officials.
In both administrative proceedings, there are no facts of dissemination of either inflammatory statements or false information, the Union of Journalists explained.
Russkiy Mir