Another Overton Window Opens: Former Director of Public Radio

Another Overton window has opened: we have started discussing things that normal, decent people usually do not discuss. This was stated by Garegin Khumaryan, the former director of Public Radio, on his Facebook page.

"In the Public Radio, Ottoman-style clocks have appeared, and we are determining what time is set at Public Radio: For the last five years, this has been the time; and for the next five years, when we cancel the farce of 'Changing the Radio Director' staged by the Public Broadcaster’s Council. I confirm, yes, new clocks showing time according to different capital cities' time zones have appeared on one of the walls of Public Radio (you might have seen something like this in hotel lobbies). Indeed, one of them shows Baku time, which, by the way, is the same as Yerevan time, and another one shows Ankara's time. There are also clocks from other cities.

Now, without emotions, let’s understand what is happening. If the authors of this 'art installation' are serious people, of which I have deep doubts, this is a multi-step combination that can pursue the following goals:

1. The person recognized as the winner in the publicly contested 'elections' for the director of Public Radio checks the mood within the building and tries to expand the permissible scope of action within the framework of his (presumably) undertaken obligations; in other words, to tread a red line as an experiment. And for the people of the radio, this is truly a red line.
2. In anticipation of upcoming changes, to deprive the people of the radio of public support. Due to years of its work, Public Radio justly enjoys the reputation of an impartial and balanced media outlet. Before breaking the backbone, public perceptions about the Company and the people working there should be leveled, so that those 'organizing their work according to Baku and Ankara time' aren't followed by criticism.
3. To make it such that people are simply ashamed to come to work in this building, write resignation letters, and let the impending personnel changes pass without noise. If there is someone among my colleagues who has done something like this, I kindly ask you to withdraw your applications.

Responding to the most frequently encountered question on social networks about the situation: 'Is there no normal person in that building who could remove the Baku and Ankara clocks?' There is, and many. If those clocks are still there, I think it is only because the radio people have decided that the one who placed those should remove them himself and apologize. The Radio is a specific institution. Those who know the Company’s history understand that such jokes are not made there.

Be careful in Armenia,–On the mountain roads… and so on… You have learned about this story from the radio people themselves. They have acted in accordance with the spirit of point 3.3 of the Code of Ethics of Armenian Media and Journalists, which implies that if there is pressure on the collective from the management that they cannot resist independently, they must bring the issue to public attention, seeking public intervention.

My colleagues at Public Radio have made this public not in a leaking manner or as an anonymous or fake source. They have done this openly, understanding the risks. I fully support them. I expect the same from the journalistic community.

I have nothing to say to Armen Koloyan, who has been recognized as the winner in the so-called competition for the director of Public Radio and is temporarily leading the company. He is a foreign citizen, a tourist whose 'visa' will soon expire. Instead, I have something to say to the members of the Public Broadcaster’s Council: Ara Shiriynan, Aram Sukiasyan, Arpi Voskanian, Vahagn Tevosyan, Varuzhan Olkhnian, Vasak Darbinyan. When we canceled the institution of the independent competitive commission and appropriated the right to elect (or in this case not elect) the director of Public Radio, you said that you were doing this for you to have both the choice and the responsibility. Well, now take some responsibility, let’s see.

And now the most important thing: Another Overton window has opened. We have started discussing things that normal, decent people usually do not discuss. Is it appropriate to put up clocks from Baku, Ankara, Sumgait, Derzhor… and so on, or is that not so? We are stubbornly being suggested to stop being what we are, and we are stubbornly discussing its appropriateness," he wrote.