Media Ethics Monitoring Body records violation of ethical code by  Public TV of Armenia

ArmInfo.The Media Ethics Monitoring Body has established a violation of the ethical code by the Public Television and Radio Company of Armenia (PTA) in the reports that were aired on Channel One on May 24 and June 6 and concerned the people of Artsakh.

In its conclusion, the monitoring body notes that the requirement to  respect privacy was violated during the broadcast of the information  (the voices of those accused of crimes were broadcast without  changes), and negative stereotypes were disseminated against people  of Artsakh origin.

"In addition, the TV channel did not delete numerous comments  containing insults, promoting incitement to hatred, violence and  other actions prohibited by law. The clause of the regulations that  requires photographs accompanying the material to be true was also  violated," the conclusion of the Media Ethics Monitoring Body of  Armenia says.

At the same time, the conclusion notes that the acting director of  the Public Television Company, Hovhannes Movsisyan, in an explanation  to the Monitoring Body, stated that the TV channel "broadcast  official messages received from the Investigative Committee (IC)". 

In this regard, the Monitoring Body emphasized that the broadcast of  the official message of the Investigative Committee by Public  Television does not exempt it from observing the norms of  journalistic ethics. Let us recall that the former Artsakh Ombudsman  and head of the public organization "Union "Artsakh" Artak Beglaryan  appealed to the Monitoring Body with a request to study the reports  aired by PTA. In these reports, as Beglaryan noted, information was  distorted, hatred was incited against the people of Artsakh, and  excessive attention was focused on the Artsakh origin of the alleged  criminals. 

The question is the reports prepared by PTA regarding the detention  of former heads of communities in Nagorno-Karabakh and the alleged  participation of Artsakh residents in opposition rallies for money.