STATE HAS PRIVATIZED RIGHT OF GIVING LICENCES TO TV
CHANNELS, OSCE REPRESENTATIVE SAYS
21-06-2006 17:54:00 | Armenia | Social
YEREVAN, JUNE 21, NOYAN TAPAN. In July, OSCE plans to
finish working at the report on the state of media in Armenia,
which will be submitted to OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna.
OSCE Representative on Freedom of Media Miklos Haraszti informed
about it at the June 21 press conference.
Presenting his preliminary estimations connected with the
situation in the sphere of freedom of speech in Armenia,
M.Haraszti emphasized that real pluralism exists only in printed
media, while in this respect electronic media are inferior to
printed media. However, according to him, some newspapers are,
in essence, "weak" due to lack of funds and they cannot exert a
proper influence on the formation of the public opinion.
M.Haraszti drew attention to the circumstance that the
majority of members of the National Commission of Radio and
Television is appointed by the President and declared that one
of the recommendations of OSCE is to change this provision in RA
law "On Radio and Television." As he estimated, there is an
interdependence between the staff of this commission and the
situation in electronic media, which lack pluralism.
He pointed to the necessity to work out such a system of
licensing in giving frequences to electronic media that would
exclude the possibility of appropriating this right by someone.
"The state has privatized the right of giving licences to TV
channels," M.Haraszti declared.
According to him, OSCE is going to recommend Armenia to
perfect the order of licensing of TV and radio frequences by new
amendments to the law. In particular, the process of licensing
should be more transparent. Besides, certain limitations should
be introduced here. In particular, according to M.Haraszti,
there are persons in Armenia who own more than one channel.
As for persecutions and physical violence towards
journalists, M.Haraszti mentioned that no cases of mass
violations and persecutions have been registered in Armenia
since 2004. According to him, "persecutions towards journalists
do not have an organized character in Armenia."