Summing up the year is a good tradition. Always in December everyone writes: “The Year’s Top 10 I-Don’t-Know-What” or “The Year’s Top 20 Somethings or Some ones” and so on. Let us also not miss the month of reviewing the year and write a few words about 2011, the media and the Internet.

The year’s successes

1. Finally, the Armenian press realized that it can keep readers in ArmNet, offering news about not only a few squares and buildings in downtown Yerevan, but also outside the borders of the Republic of Armenia, stealing web traffic from various foreign sites.

2. The Armenia press realized that if you’re not online, soon you won’t be offline either.

3. The Armenian press surmised that it no longer matters what you were called — a daily newspaper or a TV company. Newspapers with a calm conscience are now broadcasting live on air and this no longer surprises us.

The Armenian press’ hopeless moments of the 21st century, which weren’t overcome in 2011 either

1. The Ctr-C/Ctr-V keyboard stroke continues to have a prevalent/abusive position

2. To cite one other remains unpleasant and unacceptable by the majority of local news outlets

3. To cite unknown or insignificant foreign websites, without checking their validity 

4. To publish photos crediting the photographer — and having a connection to the piece — remains an unnecessary esthetic requirement

5. To note on the website the editor’s name and the news agency’s contact details is just as disagreeable for online news sites as it is for several TV companies to speak about their owners

6. To have an immaculate newsfeed where it’s written who, when and to whom expressed this thing — without comments, chagrin, ridicule, disgust and the expression of other emotions

But otherwise, it was quite a good year. And the next will be even more preferable/pre-electoral

Samvel Martirosyan

The views expressed in the column are those of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the views of Media.am.