Azatutyun TV prepared an extensive 9.5-minute report, almost a film aimed at discrediting the leader of the Prosperous Armenia party Gagik Tsarukyan. The journalist talked to the residents of Mets Parni village of Lori region, where in the 2017 parliamentary elections the majority voted for the Tsarukyan alliance. Some residents note that money has been distributed, while others insist that Tsarukyan has helped the villagers and helped them with many issues. The questions were biased, the journalist was asking the same question in different ways, trying to get answers that discredited Tsarukyan by manipulative ways.
“Media Advocate” initiative has repeatedly referred to the biased videos of RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, in which the rules of journalistic ethics are violated, in particular, opinions are voiced defending the government’s point of view, ignoring the principle of pluralism. The journalist’s reference to this topic would have been honest if it had not happened now, when the government is trying to silence the opposition representatives by means of initiation of criminal proceedings, which by the way are in vain. On Sunday, June 21, the Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan rejected the mediation of the National Security Service to detain Gagik Tsarukyan, which confirms the arguments of the representatives of the opposition that the case was fake. We once again urge Azatutyun TV not to politicize the news and to be honest with its own audience.
