The Armenian Section of AEJ celebrated World Press Freedom Day with the Presentation of a new and much awaited book entitled “Investigative Journalism: The Armenian Experience” authored by Edik Baghdasaryan, Armenia’s most intrepid and distinguished investigative reporter and the founder of AEJ’ s Armenian Section. The Presentation was organized at the Journalism Department of Yerevan State University. Over 150 students attended this Presentation. Edik Baghdasaryan’s speech was followed by questions from the students and discussion.
The book is a compendium of the author’s decade long experience as an investigative journalist in Armenia. Mr. Baghdasaryan draws on his finely tuned reporter’s instinct to get to the crux of stories,political, economic and social, that have been at the forefront of the news in Armenia.
“Investigative Journalism: The Armenian Experience”, is a primer for all those wishing to pursue a career in investigative journalism in Armenia as well as for general readers who wish to get a behind the scenes look at the pitfalls and problems confronting the purveyors of investigative journalism in Armenia today.
At close to 200 pages, the book delves into the nuts and bolts of investigative reporting, from tracking down leads, fact checking techniques, drafting a news story, etc. It includes many insightful case studies of investigative pieces drawn from the archives of “Hetq” that tell “the story behind the story”.
An online discussion was lunched on the Internet on the topic “Violations against journalists”, as the main problem of Amrneian Mass Media, because just before the celebration of WPFD, on April 30, another Armenian journalist, Argishti Kiviryan, who runs the “Armenia Today” website, was brutally attacked at the entrance to his house at #9 Nalbandyan Street. Mr. Kiviryan was rushed to the Erebuni Medical Center.