The Investigative Journalists NGO, with the support of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, has published “The State of Media Freedom in Armenia 2013: Core Problems and Challenges".

The report, published as an online book in English and Armenian, summarizes the main challenges facing reporters and news outlets in Armenia in 2013.

Hetq reporters have prepared analytical articles on a variety of court cases where media outlets and reporters have been sued for libel and incidents of physical assault/intimidation against members of the press.

Attorneys Ara Ghazaryan and Ashot Vareljyan present a concise overview of the operational freedom of news outlets, focusing on such aspects as legislative regulation, physical violence, and court cases based on charges of slander and insult. Regarding such court cases, the attorneys sound a positive note in their analysis, noting that from January to October of 2013 the courts have handed down verdicts that, by and large, have been favorable in terms of reporter and news outlet freedom.

As always, however, acts of physical violence committed against reporters and interference in their activities revealed in the study are of concern.  These challenges appear in the form of physical violence, pressure tactics and legal suits filed against them. Other challenges to the development of the media sector in Armenia have also been looked at – unhealthy competition, a shrinking print media due to technological advances, a lack of professionalism, etc.

The book is intended for reporters, attorneys, professionals dealing with freedom of speech/media issues, students of journalism, and the general reading public.