talk for any journalist ichigaya
is to see the impact of article or
investigative phase of something and my
talk will be about issues that
journalists face in a process of
ensuring that impact so recently in
Armenia there has been a tendency to
blame journalists for everything still
three years ago very high level
politician blamed us journalists for for
seeing bad things in everything and for
creating musty atmosphere
well well very well know everybody knows
that gosh man alert and for what as a
result of which people my emigrate from
the country we were even blamed for
Armenian national soccer team for their
bad performance and very recently
well-known businessman tycoon blamed us
journalists or called a journalist a spy
and insisted that 90% of Arminius
population lives in living bad condition
because of journalists ok we do have
scenes but not that much we we do have
scenes as professional high level
journalism is something rare today but I
will talk about one of our since about
the boundary of journalism and activism
a topic much discussed in a world but in
Armenian reality this boundary is
transgressed very often but
not because of journalists fault if
journalism meant to be objective
impartial and fair yes in that case of
course journalist
cannot be an activist journalist must
avoid becoming involved emotionally and
especially politically but let me ask
this question is it always possible to
stick to this rule
I assure that even the most professional
journalists will say that it is not let
me be clear this is not about political
involvement of course and here is a
boundary for me is very clear if you are
in politics it means ultimately that you
but I would like to discuss the issue is
it justified for journalists to become
or to be an activist is there an
acceptable motivation for journalists to
to do such change of identity I think
there is and there is one only and it is
related to freedom of speech I believe
that yes one should be an activist to
champion free speech let me be bring
just an example in 2008 March 1
post-election events when everybody
knows what happened when television
channels were mostly silent about the
situation in the street of heroine
journalists those journalists working
outside of television outside of
controlled media willy-nilly become
activists contrasting their work
contrasting their coverage with official
information and this contrast forced
them to
assume the unintended unintended role of
public defenders during those days the
boundary was so huge that it was almost
impossible to not to express a position
and bigger journalist providing unbiased
coverage was again almost impossible
because as I said earlier the pressure
from the other side I mean from the
state-run information flows was so huge
that fighting for freedom of information
fighting for freedom of speech was an
ultimate necessity and that takes us
many of us to the other side of the
barricade during those days when state
of emergency has been had been imposed
it was prohibited to published any
information other than official so but
in that case as a journalist in order to
defend public interest in order to
defend their right to get information we
had to find those protesters that were
killed 10 protesters that were killed so
what we do
I personally for several days walk up
and down the Yerevan Street several
districts in order to find free killed
protesters those that were killed by
police by Jerome occur seven tear gas
grenade which was supposed not a special
weapon supposed to be a special weapon
not for killing but it killed we knew
only their names for his name and last
name nothing else it seems to be going
to be impossible to find them
somehow I had I was a I was fortunate to
do that
I found all tank protesters families I
found them I wrote about them I
published these stories about their
about them about more about the
situation I published it in
international media I had I couldn’t do
that in inside the country I published
in in blogs in social media it was not
easy because every day I had to go to
internet cafe I had to open new email in
order to protect myself in order to
avoid investigation and in order to
avoid pressure from the state later I
felt obliged to help this families I
felt obliged to find for them lawyers to
find for them even psychologists for
here is the question did I become an
activist I think yes maybe did I have
another option as a journalist I think I
didn’t I had to protect public interest
and in Armenian reality sometimes
journalists have another function
solving problems and sometimes we had to
become like activists or social workers
even maybe this is common for non
democratic countries or for countries
with limited democratic values or rights
when sometimes journalists become life
boil when community demands not only
provide a coverage but also help in
solving the problem and moving forward I
will pause another question
so can we journalists avoid in our call
for activism when the facts on the
I will I would argue that it it will it
is even more difficult for female
journalists who mostly are more
emotional and perceive issues with
deeper empathy and few words about this
woman activism and journalism this
collision becomes even deeper when
female journalist is covering women’s
issues such as domestic violence
I assure that most of the time they
become an activist and few words again
about female journalists in general is
it how how what what does it mean in
general to be a woman journalist in
Armenia the superficial answer will be
nothing nothing unusual as the majority
of journalists are women the majority of
journalists but it’s really very
important to note that majority of
functioning journalists are women but
the most part of the media managers
editors are men of course and this is in
like in other areas in Armenia when
women are in lower echelon and men are
on top yes more and more women are
entering journalism a profession long
reserved for men but is a women being a
journalist is fully embraced by the
public or by the society deep down is it
is not just an example very recently
during this recent elections I heard a
phrase
from at a polling station from the
electoral local Electoral Commission who
was arguing with a journalist and he
said you are lying during that that’s
why no one wants to marry you this is
very common stereotype attributed to
female journalists or several years ago
during environmental protest and one
very famous official said to me you are
a nice girl why did you become a
journalist I have another funny story
about this funny and sad story about
this exactly ten years ago I was working
on story about domestic violence I had
to go to a village called Boris town in
Herat province in that village domestic
violence was an acceptable patterning of
life and while I saw I was working I was
I while I was doing my field research I
was interviewing people in a building in
the village and now the relief man came
to me asked the reason of my visit and
when he heard that I’m working about our
own domestic violence he he laughed very
loudly and asked are you married I said
yes
doesn’t your husband ever beat you no he
ain’t a surprise to us I told I said no
I told never and he said here is the
problem this is the problem that’s why
you become a journalist no normal woman
we never the normal woman will become a
journalist I advise your husband to beat
you in a while
once in a while as i’m here as still i’m
here still a journalist you can guess
that my husband didn’t follow this piece
of advice
but these words reveals the ideas that
exist in society towards journalists
female journalists but it’s really
important female journalist involvement
because as research reveals that in
investigative journalism in studying
social and environmental issues in
rising problems women journalists are
more consistent more compassionate and
supportive and this increases the impact
of journalism increases the impact of
journalists on decision-makers and
brings about change bring about change
bring change this is my main message
today and however here you in bringing
change in trying to have an impact here
we journalists have a problem and it
doesn’t matter whether it is high
quality high professional return
undisputed fact based based
investigative article returned by female
or male journalist the impact is very
very limited
so these prods sometimes journalists to
be more than just writers to cross the
boundary of journalism and involved in
raising further raising of that issue
that this or that issue
so these proteges knowledge to be an
activist for impact for freedom of
speech for freedom of information and
expression I had thought that this is
very typical of this is very typical for
mainly for non democratic countries but
recently I read on
read an article by very famous professor
in journalistic word than Gilmer who
wrote I will read it directly if
journalism won’t take a stand for call
RIBA liberties like free expression and
then the leader is in the campaign to
save or restore them we will be fit to
call ourselves entertainers and not much
else
hence I refuse to be called an
entertainer and I will continue taking
stand when it comes to core values such
as fundamental fundamental human rights
and liberties and this is maybe my Iggy
gaya thank you [Applause]