MINSK, SEPTEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. Director of ARMENPRESS news agency Aram Ananyan has delivered remarks about the prospects of development of modern mass media at the Partnership for the Future: Digital Agenda for Media Sector media-forum in Minsk, Belarus.

Mr. Ananyan noted that the forum has become an important arena for the discussion of media industry issues and actual information.

“I am more than convinced that in the modern world there aren’t any longer exclusively non-digital media. Every year it is becoming more difficult to point out any sector which will solely be non-digital,” Mr. Ananyan said. He emphasized that his words don’t imply whatsoever that printed press should cease to exist.

“Printed speech gets new opportunity, because the paper becomes the bearer of digital information and even through the simplest QR code enables to enter the digital world by enriching printed publications with such information which would be impossible to imagine decades ago,” the ARMENPRESS director said, stressing that the method of using mass media today differs from the method which was used years ago.

“Internet resources, blogs and social media are no longer considered new media. If years ago we were discussing that people are surrounded by information, today they have literally become the bearers of information through smart phones, watches and glasses. In space and time we are more than ever close to the person, and the contemporary person lives in an environment which is full of information flow,” he said, stressing that it was in the very online regime that the velvet revolution of Armenia developed, which was possible to be followed from any corner of the world without spending even a cent.

Speaking about the strategy of ARMENPRESS, Ananyan said that one of the directions of the agency’s work is seeking formats of development of small newsrooms in the rapidly changing world. “For raising our competitiveness, we are using the possibilities of artificial intelligence in creating informational production in both domestic and international media space. For instance, we have automated the daily economic news flow,” he said, stressing that this gives additional opportunities to reporters who use their time to create unique content.

Speaking about the risks which exist in the development of IT, particularly in protection of personal and computer data, as well as taking into account the threats of distribution of disinformation, fake news and hate speech, he said that these risks are surmountable in case of development of professional journalism

As another important and responsible factor of competitiveness of ARMENPRESS, Ananyan pointed out the existence of the large Armenian Diaspora, which, as a network organism, is expanding the boundaries of the small newsroom and in this context the international cooperation gains new meaning. From the Armenian Diaspora to Nagorno Karabakh Republic, from the United States to Russia, ARMENPRESS is constantly actively collecting information from any part of the world and reports it to the readers.

“In this context we highly value cooperation with partners. Since we are in Belarus, I would like to specially underscore the long-time and effective cooperation with Belarusian state news agency Belta,” Ananyan said, congratulating his Belarusian colleagues on the 100th anniversary of foundation of Belta, and stressing that this year will also mark the 100th anniversary of foundation of ARMENPRESS.

Ananyan was pleased to note that an expansion of cooperation with Belarusian news media is planned within the framework of the media-forum. “Since ARMENPRESS also unites printed organs, together with my good friend and famous media manager Dmitry Zhuk will lay the foundation of cooperation between ARMENPRESS’s printed organs and the Belarus Segodnya media holding, which will contribute to professional partnership for the future,” he said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan