From 21 to 30 June, 2020, the “Media Advocate” initiative followed online media reports on the RA Minister of Health, Arsen Torosyan’s personality and activities.
35 leading Armenian news agencies have been monitored.
In the specified period, 708 articles were declared, 203 of which were negative, 5 were positive and 500 were neutral.
Almost no positive articles were published on the RA Health Minister Arsen Torosyan.
The main criticism is related to the fight against Covid 19. According to the press, the Minister has failed the fight against the epidemic.
It is noted that various medicines have not yet undergone clinical trials. The WHO has launched a trial of various medicines against Covid 19, the participants of which should agree undergoing a trial beforehand. The fact-finding group issued a statement in this regard: “According to the order issued by the RA Minister of Health on April 28 these medicines, which are undergoing clinical trial by the WHO, are used in Armenia, causing objective concerns. The above-mentioned medicines were not used within the framework of the WHO clinical trial according to the order signed by the RA Minister of Health. Then on what grounds did Arsen Torosyan instruct to use the medicines that are considered risky and are not proven effective?
After Arsen Torosyan’s statement, where the latter urged not to leave homes and not to visit cafes, the press wrote: “Now Arsen Torosyan says that we should stay at home. Hey you, inexperienced yet bad luck minister, “Stay Home” campaign is over, now the incomprehensible slogan “Wear a Mask” is being circulated. Is that possible they pave a way for a quarantine again? They failed a quarantine, wrote a movement sheet, did not restrict the movement of people, and now they say “Stay Home”.
Referring to Arsen Torosyan’s Facebook post, political scientist Gagik Hambaryan wrote: “I would advise Arsen Torosyan to do mathematical calculations and find out how few patients with coronavirus would have died from that infection if he and Nikol had set quarantine in time, had not make ridiculous comments and not convinced that it is not a very dangerous infection.”
