As previously reported, Aram Manukyan, a board member of the Armenian National Congress (ANC), made a number of manipulative and false statements on News.am regarding the research titled “Armenia’s Key Dependencies on the Russian Federation: Threats and Solutions.” In response, the Research Center on Security Policy (RCSP) issued clarifications that expose the deliberate distortions of facts made by Manukyan for certain reasons. Moreover, Public Television proposed a debate between RCSP President Areg Kochinyan and ANC board member Aram Manukyan, which the latter declined—further highlighting the baseless and manipulative nature of his assertions.
In parallel, RCSP’s response was shared with multiple media outlets, including News.am—the very platform that had broadcasted and disseminated Manukyan’s claims. In a verbal phone conversation, a representative of News.am initially agreed to publish the response. However, three days later, the publication still had not occurred. Yesterday, during a follow-up call, the News.am representative stated that the submitted text was with the editor, who would decide whether or not to publish it. As of the seventh day since the publication of Manukyan’s statements and the fourth day since RCSP’s response was sent, News.am has yet to present the authors’ perspective on the matter.
Frankly, it is no longer surprising when a media outlet exhibiting questionable conduct in Armenia’s information landscape refuses to present both sides of a given issue. Ultimately, the problem comes down to a matter of public trust. Can one truly rely on the impartiality of a media outlet that, despite loudly declaring its “neutrality,” declines to publish the viewpoint of a study’s authors—yet eagerly amplifies politically charged distortions?
