As a result of Coronavirus outbreak, reporters send their questions online in order them to be raised during the press conferences of government officials. According to the set rules, these questions should be raised, but we have a situation where questions raised by several media outlets are actually ignored. Lurer.com, Hraparak.am, Antifake.am, Analitik.am, Goris Today, Slaq.am and journalist Paylak Fahradyan have reported that the questions they have sent were ignored.
Paylak Fahradyan sent an online question to Zaruhi Batoyan. “Mrs. Batoyan, are you going to allocate your one month salary and bonus for preventing coronavirus?” The question was not read, after which the journalist wrote a post on his Facebook page reporting about it: “Since Zaruhi Batoyan’s spokesperson did not read this question, I publicize it. Who is the spokesperson to decide which question should be read, which should not?”
Such a working style of government is unacceptable. “Media Advocate” urges not to restrict freedom of speech, not to divide media into insiders and outsiders. We hope that the spokespeople will be impartial and will raise everyone’s questions.
Such a working style reduces the effectiveness of the State of Emergency, furthermore, journalists will have to attend press conferences so that their questions are not ignored and that only questions favourable to the government are not raised.
