PR deceit: not real but ‘fake Gallup’ commissioned to conduct exit poll for Armenian parliamentary election

There was a big PR by government controlled Armenia TV channel that they have signed up with the Gallup to conduct exit poll for upcoming Armenian parliamentary election. All the main headlines implied that the world renowned US company will conduct exit poll in Armenia, thus putting behind it its reputation.

Even with the ‘real’ Gallup, I would have concerns re polling, as taking into account local circumstances, it is very important who conducts the polls in the field. If it’s one of discredited sociological groups in Armenia, then even with the best Gallup methodology, I would not trust their results.

7or.am revealed, however, that it’s not ‘real' Gallup that is going to conduct the exit poll and pre-election survey, but the ‘fake’ one.

This is a ‘real’ Gallup: http://www.gallup.com/corporate/115/About-Gallup.aspx

This is a ‘fake’ Gallup: former “Gallup International Association”. Kancho Stoychev who signed the agreement with the Armenia TV is their Vice-President (Bulgaria). [http://www.gallup-international.com/en/who_we_are/the_board] Despite name change [“Worldwide Independent Network of Market Research”], they still contain references to “Gallup” within their website.

According to one Wikipedia reference, [US-based] Gallup Inc. and [Switzerland-based] Gallup International Association (GIA) were involved in a legal dispute over the use of “Gallup” name. In 2010, GIA merged with the market research company WIN (Worldwide Independent Network). They are currently called “Worldwide Independent Network of Market Research”.

It’s the US-based company, not the Swiss one, that is famous for Gallup Poll.

This is not what we will be getting for Armenian parliamentary election.

Armenian teenagers are the 'winners' of the latest European survey on alcohol, smoking and drug use

The European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs (ESPAD) is being conducted each 4 years from 1995. For the first time, Armenia participated in this survey in 2007, which was the latest round of it. The ESPAD has just published its results.

They are pretty encouraging for Armenia, which reportedly has the lowest prevalence of alcohol consumption, smoking and drug use among teenagers of 35 European countries participating in the survey. However...

As much as I am pleasantly surprised, say, with the low smoking rates, this apparently does not get transformed into the life style changes. One recent data suggest that "with more than 70% of the population smoking, Armenia ranks sixth in the number of smokers in the world and number one in Europe." Truly, a gigantic transformation to the worse. The question is what makes no smoking teenagers become heavy smoking adults?

Below are key ESPAD results for Armenia (plus Figure, above):

Overall, alcohol and drug use in Armenia is very limited in comparison with other ESPAD countries. The key variables are all well below average, making Armenia the lowest-prevalence country in this study. Although about two-thirds (66%) of the students had been drinking alcohol during the past 12 months, less than one-tenth of them (8%) reported that they had been drunk in that period. The consumption volumes on the latest drinking day are very moderate (1.6 cl alc. 100%). Smoking is also rare, with low 30-days prevalence (7%), and the lifetime prevalence of cannabis use is low (3%). Moreover, very few (2%) of the Armenian students had used any drug other than cannabis, and non-prescription use of tranquillisers or sedatives is almost non-existent, as is use of pills in combination with alcohol.

For full comparative results of all participating countries, visit the ESPAD website.

Armenian human rights activist Lilit Poghosyan is chosen as the face for the EU anti-discrimination poster

*This poster has been produced as part of the EU-wide “For Diversity. Against Discrimination” information campaign.

For details - Unzipped: Gay Armenia

Armenia – Turkey football match was the most watched TV programme in 2008

Armenia-Turkey football match was watched by 32.48% TV viewers in Armenia, according to the results of monitoring by Yerevan representatives of AGB Nielsen Media Research, reports Armenia Today.

Eurovision was watched by 30.99%, and the final of European football championship – by 21.61% of respondents.

It’s getting ridiculous: Armenian MPs want to have their own church on Baghramyan Avenue

Things are going from bad to worse in the ‘bright’ minds of Armenian MPs. This news could easily be considered among the most ridiculous news ever to come out from Armenia. Ironically, it comes from the head of parliamentary committee on science, education, culture, youth and sport. Well, it’s Armen Ashotyan - MP from governing Republican party - whose ‘creativity’ has no limits.

Currently, the discussions are underway on the possibility of building a church for Armenian MPs, said chairman of the parliamentary committee on science, education, culture, youth and sport Armen Ashotyan. «I have proposed to build a church back in 2005. The aim of this initiative - to bring the Armenian Apostolic Church closer to the official representative body, the National Assembly, and reiterate the distinctive mission of the Armenian Apostolic Church», - MP said at a press conference on Monday.

According to Ashotyan, newly elected speaker of the Armenian parliament Hovik Abrahamyan is engaged with the process and already raised the issue of church building. The likelihood of this initiative is very high, indeed. «Construction of the church on Baghramyan Avenue, where the residence of the president and the country's parliament building are located, is pretty symbolic.

As far as I am informed, orders have already been given out to prepare for the construction of the church», - said Ashotyan. […]

«I am confident that upon completion of this initiative it would be more comfortable to work in Armenian parliament», - he said.

What is next? Armenian patriarch as head of state elected by the National Ecclesiastical Assembly?

...and not only in Armenia.

Recent survey in Georgia shows that Georgians trust their orthodox church the most (91% of surveyed). It follows by independent media and human rights Ombudsman (no numbers are provided within the news report but I assume they came the distant 2nd and 3rd). The least trusted for Georgians are courts and the mayor of Tbilisi.

With this mentality and state of affairs, the future for the South Caucasus is not looking that bright, after all.

Goodbye to Freedom?

Bomb explosion (photo above by Regnum) at the office of opposition newspaper Chorrord Ishkhanutyun ('The Fourth Estate') and continuing saga of attempts to shut down the rare dissenting voice of the small regional TV company Gala once more put the question of press freedom in Armenia in the spotlight. In fact, these attemtps are so continuous and regular that the issue never left the spotlight.

It seems to me very relevant to post today about the recent - its first ever - survey of Media Freedom across Europe by the Association of European Journalists (published in November). The survey covered 20 European countries: Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey and the UK.

Entitled Goodbye to Freedom?, this survey "challenges the myth that western European societies are ‘much more free’ than those in eastern Europe. Across the continent, it says, media freedom is under attack from new political and economic pressures." However, as stated in the survey, "Violence and intimidation directed against journalists is unfortunately common in the two states of the former Soviet Union covered, Russia and Armenia." Previous arson attack against Chorrord Ishkhanutyun newspaper is among 13 specific cases of violence and threats against media in Armenia indicated in the survey.

Below are some extracts from Armenia related pages. The full report is available here.

“Thirteen specific cases [of violence and threats of various kinds directed at journalists] were recorded between 2006 and 2007, including the following:-

In September 2007 Hovhannes Galajyan, the Editor-in-chief of Iravunk newspaper, suffered significant injuries and was hospitalised after being attacked by unknown assailants who broke into the newspaper’s offices and beat him using metal bars. Mr Galajyan had already been violently assaulted one year earlier, in front of his own house. He stated after the first attack that he believed it was related to coverage in his newspaper which impugned the reputation of the then Defence Minister (and now Prime Minister), Serge Sarkissyan.

Threatening e-mails were sent to Edik Baghdasaryan, the Editor-in-chief of the online newspaper Hetq, demanding the suppression of articles containing allegations concerning the country’s leading oligarch, Gagik Tsarukyan, who is also a member of parliament.

The editorial offices of The Fourth Estate newspaper were set on fire by unknown arsonists.

The power supply to the printing presses of the regional Syuniats Yerkir newspaper was cut following publication of criticisms of a power supply company.

The car of Souren Baghdasaryan, Editor-in-chief of the newspaper Football+ was twice set on fire.

David Jalavyan, a sports writer on the Haykakan zhamanak newspaper, was injured in a knife attack.

None of these cases of violence towards reporters has been clarified or led to convictions in court. The judicial authorities have shown reluctance in many cases to conduct active investigations, and in the few cases in which individuals have been found guilty of obstructing the work of journalists, only fines or other mild punishments have been meted out. “

"Armenia’s TV channels, all of them in reality controlled from the office of the President, provide the society with systematically biased information, which exclude all expressions of dissent. The written press is also hampered in what it can write by its heavy dependence on major business or political sponsors who exercise tight control over many newspapers by controlling the flow of funds from advertising."

HIV/AIDS situation in Armenia

Statistics and commentary

see Unzipped: Gay Armenia

*picture via A1+

Good News and Bad News from South Caucasus

Good news was that Armenian and Azeri press clubs with a joint initiative launched common website Writers vs. Conflicts for literarily exchanges. As the website claims, it aims at providing a platform for a dialogue between sides using a literature to re-create some bridges between nations. In present climate of lack of communication and contacts, it will introduce current developments in the literature in respective countries to the Armenian and Azeri audiences. The site also provides a forum for discussions on various topics. They will present mainly modern authors from both Armenia and Azerbaijan. Later, other countries in the region may join too. Currently, the site operates in 3 languages – Armenian, Azeri and Russian. English version will become operational soon. The site is in pilot stages now, so more developed versions can be expected in near future.

I always liked the weekly South Caucasian programme in Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, where journalists from three countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia) present reports on chosen social topic. That programme once again proved to me that along with differences, there are many similarities between us and what we lack are contacts and communication between ordinary people, civic society representatives and so on. Basically, simple human contacts... And I welcome the initiative of press clubs to try to re-establish some relations in the literature field.

One technical remark: I find the sound of the site animation annoying and difficult to get rid off; it disturbs reader from reading itself; it will be more user-friendly if by default that animation was soundless, with the option for a viewer to switch it on and off based on preferences.

And bad news... According to the results of the survey in Georgia, only 4% of respondents considered neighbouring Armenia a friendly country. I am not sure how representative this survey is, but assuming it reflects at least partly the reality, it shows how far we are from each other in terms of mutual understanding and trust, despite being so close geographically and culturally. I understand, there may be distrust and misunderstanding between neighbours, but this poll shows that complex regional and global politics are able to ruin neighbourly relationships without the need for war or direct conflicts. I assume that along with other factors, one of the main reasons of low trust in Armenia is that Armenia is considered the most pro-Russian country in the region – only 1% of surveyed Georgians considered Russia a friendly state, while Azerbaijan, Ukraine, USA and Estonia top the list of friendly countries, as voted by those surveyed.