Publications

Media Diversity Institute has published a range of books and handbooks for training journalists, developing media relations skills of non-profits, as well as helping journalism lecturers. You can download the electronic copies of the books below. The Armenian language publications are presented in ANSI encoding.

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This report was prepared by Internews’ Internet Freedom & Resilience team under a stream of work that strengthens civil society organizations, journalists, and other human rights defenders’ ability to detect, analyze, and build resilience to digital attacks through localized expertise in threat analysis and incident response.

It is intended to provide an overview of the digital threats faced by civil society and media organizations in Armenia and provide guidance for digital safety experts supporting this community.

This report was written in close collaboration with CyberHub-AM, a Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) for Armenian civil society, including NGOs, Human Rights Defenders, Activists, journalists, and independent media. They serve as a contact point and help desk for the above-mentioned groups in Armenia and collect, analyze, and anonymously and responsibly share incident data and indicators with the global threat intelligence community where appropriate.

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In the Republic of Armenia, there is no continuous and extensive demand for anonymity tools to bypass blocking such as VPN and TOR. However, the occasional escalation of domestic political struggle and the short-term but periodic blockings of the Internet contribute to a growing interest in these tools.

Despite anonymity, there is no ban on such tools in the country, which are not even regulated by law. At the same time, there have been cases when citizens have been prosecuted for using VPNs.

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Online anonymity is a guarantee of freedom of expression in the digital age. Without anonymity, people are less likely to express themselves freely, for fear of reprisal. This can have a chilling effect on free speech, especially in countries where freedom of expression is already restricted.

Media Diversity Institute has developed a policy brief entitled — “The Right to Online Anonymity in Armenia,” which examines the legal regulations of online anonymity in Armenia. The report finds that the current regulations are inadequate and do not adequately protect the right to online anonymity. The report makes a number of recommendations for improving the legal framework for online anonymity in Armenia.

The report is intended for a wide range of audiences, including the media, human rights defenders, industry experts, state administration bodies, and legislators. The report is available in PDF format at this link.

This research uses Ranking Digital Rights (RDR) Index Methodology to assess how Armenia’s three telecom operators (Viva-MTS, Team Telecom, and Ucom) collect, store, process, and share users’ data with third parties and government agencies.

The research finds that all three companies provide similar documents to inform their customers, yet they do not provide enough details about how they use and share users’ data with third parties or government agencies.

The research is avialble for download in PDF format.

This report examines digital security threats against Armenian civil society in 2019-2020, including government, opposition, and international cyber attacks, highlighting phishing, malware, and DDoS. It notes the growing attack sophistication, exploiting weak passwords and inadequate security training. It recommends improving digital security, risk management, and preparation against cyber threats.

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This curriculum was developed jointly by the experts of the Media Diversity Institute and the Freedom of Information Center as part of their “Fight Against the Disinformation Virus” project launched in July 2020. This handbook provides practical fact-checking advice for journalists and those interested in improving their reporting quality and voiding mistakes.

The handook is available for download in PDF format.

“Reporting Diversity Manual” by David Tuller for the Media Diversity Institute, focuses on promoting ethical and comprehensive reporting on diversity issues, particularly in the context of ethnic, religious, gender, disability, and other forms of diversity. It provides guidelines, case studies, and practical tips for journalists to avoid perpetuating stereotypes and biases while covering stories that involve diverse groups. The manual also discusses the importance of including diverse perspectives and voices in reporting to foster understanding and tolerance among different communities. It highlights the role of the media in challenging prejudices and supporting democratic values by providing fair, accurate, and nuanced coverage of diversity issues.

The manual is available in Armenian, Russian and English lanuages.

“A Media Relations Handbook for Non-Governmental Organizations” is a comprehensive guide aimed at helping NGOs effectively communicate and engage with the media. It covers a wide range of topics including planning and executing media strategies, understanding the media landscape, and utilizing various communication tools such as press releases, press conferences, and social media. The handbook is designed to enhance NGOs’ capabilities in fostering positive media relations, thereby increasing their visibility, influence, and ability to advocate for their causes more effectively. It offers practical advice, examples, and best practices to empower NGOs to navigate media interactions confidently and with greater impact.

The manual is available for download in Armenian, Russian and English languages.

There is also an addendum to the mainual — “Media Relations: Tips from leading Armenian experts”, also available for download in Armenian and English languages.

Media Diversity Institute has developed and published a curriculum to teaching journalists and journalism students to cover diversity issues. The curriculum is only available in English and only as a printed version. To get your copy of the book, please contactu us.