Issue N19

On May 27-29, 2022, EVN Report hosted the first-ever Media Festival that brought together local and international media professionals in Yerevan to highlight the pivotal role journalists play in the recording of collective experience and memory. The overarching goal was to help the journalistic community in Armenia return to its foundational mission of informing, educating and inspiring, thereby increasing public trust in quality media.

The festival featured panel discussions, intimate conversations, workshops, portfolio reviews, exhibitions and film screenings covering a range of topics—from war reporting to political narratives. Over the course of three days, hundreds of people participated and had the opportunity to interact with journalists, editors, writers and thinkers, and discuss the need for and value of quality, credible and trustworthy news and information.

This month’s issue of EVN Report’s magazine entitled “Media” presents a wrap-up of some of the panel discussions with international and local journalists and thought leaders who discussed challenges facing the media industry today. These include the Editor’s Panel, War Reporting, Disruptive Culture: Beyond Tech, and Et Cetera: Cultural Narratives.

Cover illustration by Harut Tumaghyan.

Witnessing Is Only the Overture

When Azerbaijan launched the war in Artsakh in September 2020, Armenian journalists set out to witness, record and convey the hostilities to the world. Almost two years on, many wonder if they did enough.

The Malice of Politesse: On the Critical Condition of Cultural Criticism in Armenia

Only in nurturing the growth of critical thinking can we strengthen the positions of our cultural identity and its continuing relevance in the increasingly chaotic geopolitical and technological tides of the 21st century.

The Armenian Start-Up Ecosystem in National Narratives

Young people in Armenia can use start-ups as a vehicle to impact change and disrupt the status quo not only in their country, but also for solving global problems despite overwhelming challenges.

The Editors

During EVN Report’s Media Festival, a group of editors from different media outlets were invited to discuss the challenges and opportunities in working in an ever-changing, fluid and unstable environment.