VZCZCXRO2950
RR RUEHDBU RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHYE #1302/01 3031410
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 301410Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY YEREVAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6557
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 001302 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/PPD, EUR/CARC 
 
E.O. 12958; N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KPAO KMDR KDEM AM
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION:  COVERAGE OF FORMER PRESIDENT'S RALLY 
SKEWED 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. (SBU) Almost all Armenian broadcast media and much of the printed 
press failed to report fully and accurately the most significant 
event so far in the presidential campaign.  On October 26, 2007, 
several opposition parties organized a rally in Liberty Square at 
which former president Levon Ter-Petrossian (LTP) made the much 
anticipated formal announcement of his candidacy and condemned, at 
length, what he considered a corrupt presidential administration 
that, in addition to its other flaws, is blocking progress on a 
settlement in Nagorno Karabakh (see septel).   Most TV stations 
referred to the event but, with only one exception, refrained from 
reporting the content of the former president's speech, choosing 
instead to air negative images from his 1990s administration and 
critical comments by President Kocharian.  Notably, 
semi-oppositional Yerkir television offered balanced coverage. Only 
a few opposition newspapers provided full coverage of the rally and 
Ter Petrossian's speech.  Official and pro-government newspapers 
provided either bland coverage or none at all.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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A NEW MEMBER OF THE "STREET OPPOSITION" 
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¶2. (SBU) Yerkir Media TV, (run by the Dashnaktsutiun party), was the 
only TV channel which attempted to show the thousands of people that 
turned out for the opposition rally.  Other TV stations, like 
government-run Public TV (H1), showed only a sparse crowd apparently 
filmed before the event had gotten fully underway.  The only quote 
from Ter-Petrossian was the announcement of his candidacy.  There 
followed a much longer airing of historical clips showing the 
hardships people endured during the LTP years.  Many viewers were 
struck by the common format, (short announcement of candidacy, 
lengthy negative clips) and the similarity of the images used. 
Public TV opined during its prime time news that LTP had now become 
a member of the "street opposition," adding that it seemed he had 
nothing to say other than recounting the "accomplishments" of his 
former administration.  Armenia TV chose not to air the rally, 
preferring instead to air interviews with those people on the street 
who expressed their dislike for the former president. 
 
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"USE YOUR RIGHT TO BE INFORMED" 
------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) While opposition HAYAKAKAN ZHAMANAK, ARAVOT and 168 ZHAM 
newspapers noted that an unprecedented number of people participated 
in the rally, the pro-government HAYOTS ASHKHAR showed a half empty 
square on its front page. HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK informed its readers 
that, for two days, Armenian authorities waged a "black PR" campaign 
against LTP.  Regional authorities threatened employees working in 
government agencies that, if they dared to participate in the rally, 
they would suffer the consequences. Mini-van drivers were reportedly 
told not to work on October 26 to prevent people from coming from 
outside of Yerevan.  The author of the article opines that one could 
easily understand how nervous and tense the authorities are by 
observing the number of policemen located in the square and the 
extremely negative reports about LTP on the TV channels.  The 
similarity of the reports made the author suspect that TV stations 
had received instructions on covering the event from the same 
source. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Aram Abrahamian, Chief Editor of the daily ARAVOT, in an 
editorial titled "An Event," had harsh criticism for Armenia's TV 
stations, accusing them of having forgotten the basic principles of 
journalism and, without quoting Ter-Petrossian's speech, choosing to 
broadcast comments denouncing his administration. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Opposition newspaper 168 ZHAM specifically criticized 
Armenia TV, whose program host usually signs off saying to viewers, 
"Use your right to be informed."  The paper mocks the host for 
failing to reveal how viewers should do this, given that in his 
view, both Armenia TV and other TV channels are tightly controlled 
by the authorities and provide biased and incorrect coverage of 
developments.  The author argues that the best way to exercise that 
right is "to switch off our TV sets and switch on our radio sets to 
listen to Radio Liberty, the only mass media outlet that gives 
impartial coverage of events." 
 
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WHOEVER HAS FORGOTTEN, WE'LL REMIND THEM... 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) While giving minimal coverage to the opposition rally, 
virtually all broadcast media outlets provided extensive coverage to 
President Kocharian's remarks concerning LTP's political comeback. 
He is cited saying, "I think it would be naive to think that people 
 
YEREVAN 00001302  002 OF 002 
 
 
have forgotten the time of the Armenian National Movement's tenure. 
Anyone who has forgotten, we'll remind them."  "It is obvious that 
ANM is responsible for the destruction of the Armenian economy. 
Now, when they see the economy is being restored, they think that 
new opportunities have been created for stealing." 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶7.  (SBU) Newspapers reach only a tiny segment of the population 
(mostly the political class).  No newspaper has a circulation of 
over 6,000.  Polls have shown that whereas 99% of the population 
relies on TV for its news, with state-run Public TV (H1) holding the 
dominant share, only a third of that number obtains information from 
the printed press or radio. 
 
PENNINGTON