On the occasion of World Television Day, as part of the "I Am the Media" teenagers' forum, students from the media literacy, creative journalism, etiquette, and speech mastery groups of the center participated in a live broadcast on the topic "The Mission and Activities of Monitoring Body of the Media " on the live broadcast Ethics Council." The event was held at the Dialogue Media Center.
The speakers of the topic were: Boris Navasardyan, President of the Yerevan Press Club and the Media Ethics Council; Ashot Melikyan, President of the Committee to Protect Freedom of Speech and a member of the Media Ethics Council; Mesrop Harutyunyan, Media Expert; Hakob Karapetyan, Expert of the Media Ethics Council; and Levon Barseghyan, President of the "Asparez" Journalists' Club in Gyumri.
Media expert Mesrop Harutyunyan presented how in 2007, representatives of 18 media outlets in Armenia developed a professional ethical code and established the Media Ethics Council, which is authorized to examine the compliance of media actions and publications.
The students became familiar with the speakers' presentations on why journalism is important and why free media is considered one of the cornerstones of a democratic society.
"The primary goal of journalism is to provide citizens with the information they need to be free and sovereign, not to convey distorted information," emphasized Ashot Melikyan, President of the Committee to Protect Freedom of Speech.
The more free and strong the media are, the more informed the society is about the events happening in the country. The more people are engaged in political and civic processes and participate in decision-making. Through the Q&A session, the students received accurate information on how the media should respond when covering cultural, political, economic, and other important topics, how to maintain the principle of impartiality, and avoid ending up in the Media Ethics Council's investigative chair.
