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12-10-2005
Négationnisme : TIME Europe publie un droit de réponse et reconnaît partiellement ses torts
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Dans son édition datée du 17 octobre 2005, le magazine américain TIME publie le droit de réponse demandé par Mémoire 2000, le Comité de Défense de la Cause Arménienne (CDCA), le Conseil de Coordination des Organisations Arméniennes de France (CCAF), J’accuse et le MRAP.
TIME Europe publie une mise au point dans laquelle il présente ses excuses et indique n’avoir pas vérifié le contenu du documentaire parce qu’il pensait qu’il s’agissait d’un simple outil de promotion.
Ce droit de réponse fait suite à la diffusion dans un numéro du TIME (Edition Europe) daté du 6 juin 2005 et tiré à 485 000 exemplaires, d’un DVD édité par la chambre de commerce d'Ankara sous le titre « La réelle histoire » qui, sous couvert de faire la promotion du tourisme en Turquie fait l’apologie de la négation du génocide arménien.
«Il s’agit là du premier résultat d’une démarche commune et de longue haleine engagée par les associations luttant contre le racisme, l’antisémitisme et pour la défense de la mémoire de peuple arménien», a indiqué Harout Mardirossian président du Comité de Défense de la Cause Arménienne (CDCA).
«Si TIME Magazine pense que ce droit de réponse est pour solde de tout compte, il se trompe lourdement. TIME Magazine manque de hauteur par rapport à la terrible souffrance de ceux qui ont vu ce sordide outil de propagande négationniste. Compte tenu du niveau abject jamais atteint par ce DVD, nos exigences de réparation vont bien au-delà de ce simple droit de réponse et nous entendons les obtenir», a conclu le président du CDCA.
En effet, les associations ayant demandé le droit de réponse exigeaient du magazine TIME :
- d'indiquer à ces lecteurs, quelles sont les règles, si elles existent, concernant le contenu des publicités éditées. Elles souhaitent par exemple savoir si Time Magazine aurait accepté une publicité avec un DVD similaire niant la réalité de la Shoah ?
- d'accepter la diffusion gratuite d'un DVD préparé par la FEAJD (Fédération Euro-Arménienne pour la Justice et la Démocratie) concernant l'histoire et les conséquences actuelles du génocide arménien;
- de reverser le produit de la publicité de la Chambre de Commerce d'Ankara à des organisations à but non lucratif travaillant à défendre la réalité du génocide arménien et de tous les génocides.
Paris, le mercredi 12 octobre 2005 - 15h30
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Texte du droit de réponse publiée
Turkish Tourism DVD
This letter, published pursuant to French law ("droit de réponse"), received the support of the following associations: Mémoire 2000, le Comité de Défense de la Cause Arménienne (cdca), Le Conseil de Coordination des Organisations Arméniennes de France (ccaf), J'Accuse and Le mrap.
In the June 6, 2005 issue of the European edition of Time, you ran a four-page advertisement, placed by the Ankara Chamber of Commerce, promoting tourism in Turkey, together with a dvd. The dvd contained a 70-minute segment that completely denied and distorted the facts of the Armenian genocide. It also contained many heinous allegations against the Armenian people, portraying them as terrorists, liars, killers, racists and pro-Nazis.
In response to complaints from many readers, Time printed, in the June 20, 2005, issue of its European edition, the following letter: "I was rather disappointed to see a dvd in your magazine [June 6] accompanying a Turkish ad that portrayed Armenians as terrorists and the Armenian genocide as a myth. Time has a good reputation for unbiased reporting. The dvd is an insult to all Armenians across the world." The letter was signed Gagik Mikaelian, Chicago. The editors added the following answer: "Time is an independent newsmagazine and does not endorse the views of any organization or government. We regret any offense caused by the advertisement."
We, as representatives of some French associations whose aim is to fight against racism, anti-Semitism and for the memory of the Armenian genocide, were also shocked and disappointed to see that you chose to include in the June 6, 2005, issue of your European edition of Time a dvd spreading such a grotesque denial of the Armenian genocide, and so many heinous allegations against the Armenian people. In our view, the above answer is sufficient neither to explain how a magazine like Time accepted an advertisement that promoted denial of the Armenian genocide, nor enough to evade your responsibility. Let us give some examples of what is unacceptable for us:
1. On the dvd, the narrator follows a presentation of Hrand Dink by saying: "In these words there is the longing of people who share a common faith and who live joy, grief and pride together. In these words there is the cry of humanity's wish to live in peace in a fraternity not to be beaten by hatred or resentment." He does not say that Dink is being prosecuted by a Turkish court for writing that Turkey should discuss the Armenian genocide. Dink may be sentenced to up to three years in prison for talking about the Armenian genocide. What is your view, as a journalist, about freedom of the press in Turkey as it relates to the Armenian genocide?
2. Justin McCarthy, professor of history at the University of Louisville in Kentucky, says that he thinks that the events were not genocide because some Armenians survived. Can you imagine the same words being said about the Jewish Holocaust? Would such a statement be acceptable to Time magazine?
3. The narrator of the dvd says (over images of the genocide monument in Yerevan ) that historical facts were falsified when they were transmitted to the young generation. Can you imagine a dvd presenting images from the Yad Vashem monument, together with an explanation that young Jews don't have to honor the memory of their people? Would such a statement be acceptable to Time magazine?
4. The narrator and Samuel A. Weems (a retired judge from Arkansas, who died in 2003) suggested that Armenian people collaborated with the Nazis to exterminate the Jewish people because they're Aryan, and today Armenian people react like Nazis. Do you think that because a few people commit terrorist acts that their entire nation and religion should be called terrorist? We don't believe that a nation is responsible for what 10 people do, but we are sure that states are responsible for their history - and here we refer to the genocide committed by the Turkish government in the Ottoman Empire against the Armenian nation. Would Time magazine endorse the outrageous words of the dvd against the Armenian nation, which can be characterized as racial defamation under French law?
We found many other lies, racial defamation, personal defamation and historical mistakes in this dvd, which contains all the techniques of disinformation and propaganda. In circulating these lies on behalf of Ankara's Chamber of Commerce, Time magazine has, for the price of an advertisement, allowed itself to become part of Turkey's worldwide multimillion-dollar effort to undermine truth and evade responsibility for the deaths of 1.5 million innocent Armenian men, women and children. In taking this step, Time magazine has compromised both its moral standing and its journalistic credibility. The fine journalists and staff of your publication deserve better than to be tarnished by this association with genocide denial.
As journalists and media professionals, you know that the Armenian genocide has been extensively researched by scholars around the world, and recognized by the United Nations, the European Parliament and parliaments in Europe and around the world. This year, as Armenians and all people of good conscience in Europe and around the world mark the 90th anniversary of this crime against humanity, Time magazine's decision to disseminate this hateful dvd insults the memory of its victims and offends survivors and their descendants.
More broadly, in perpetuating the precedent set by Turkey of a genocide committed with impunity, Time magazine has helped embolden future perpetrators of genocide with the knowledge that their crimes can be committed without consequence. Time magazine, as a trusted journal of our time, should understand the clear moral imperative to, once and for all, end the cycle of genocide that your journalists have chronicled for too many decades. As smart media professionals, you should have done your homework and known better than to fall into this obvious trap.
Even if you believe that the magazine's executives were misled by the Turks, you cannot deny your responsibilities to all the people who were offended by the Turkish dvd, which was distributed to 500,000 subscribers in more than a dozen European countries. You should now repair the damage you caused. In light of these concerns, we respectfully ask you to promptly take the following steps:
1. Disclose, if any, the official standards Time magazine respects when it contemplates issuing an ad. We also would like to know if, for example, Time magazine would have accepted a similarly hateful dvd denying the Holocaust.
2. Distribute, free of charge, a dvd prepared by the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (eafjd) regarding the history and modern-day consequences of the Armenian genocide.
3. Donate the advertisement receipts from this campaign to nonprofit organizations advocating the truth about the Armenian genocide and other genocides.
Thank you for your consideration of my concerns.
Bernard Jouanneau,
President, Mémoire 2000,
Paris
Editor's note: TIME regrets distributing the dvd and we are very sorry for the offense it has caused. The so-called documentary portion of the dvd presents a one-sided view of history that does not meet our standards for fairness and accuracy, and we would not have distributed it had we been aware of its content. Unfortunately, the dvd was not adequately reviewed by anyone at TIME because it was believed to be a benign promotion piece. We have since changed our review process so as to guarantee more vigilance in future. We apologize to the Armenian community, and to our readers.
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8 juin 2005 : Communiqué : TIME magazine complice des négationnistes
15 juin 2005 : Campagne internationale de protestation contre TIME Magazine
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PRESS RELEASE
Armenian National Committee of France
European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy
Armenian National Committee of America
2005-10-18 - TIME-EUROPE PUBLISHES APOLOGY FOR DISTRIBUTING GENOCIDE-DENIAL DVD
WASHINGTON, DC – Responding to months of protests organized by Armenian National Committee branches around the world, TIME Magazine's European edition published, in its October 17th issue, a brief apology to the Armenian community and all its readers for its dissemination earlier this year of a 70-minute DVD advertisement denying the Armenian Genocide.
TIME's apology was printed alongside an extensive letter to editors of TIME-Europe by leading Armenian, Jewish and human rights organizations. This response was published under France’s "right to reply" laws, which require a publication to provide editorial space to those unfairly attacked in its pages. The controversy over this issue began on June 5th, with the dissemination of a DVD, funded by the Ankara Chamber of Commerce, which featured denialist propaganda as part of a print and electronic advertisement package promoting tourism in Turkey.
Joining the Armenian National Committee of France in writing to TIME-Europe were the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France, J’Accuse, Le MRAP and the Memoire 2000. In the letter, they noted that:
"As representatives of French associations whose aim it is to fight against racism, anti-Semitism and to preserve the memory of the Armenian Genocide, we were shocked and disappointed to see that you chose to include in your June 6, 2005 issue of TIME-Europe a DVD spreading such the grotesque denial of the Armenian Genocide, and leveling so many hateful allegations against the Armenian people.”
The letter was printed on a full page in the print edition and can be read in its entirety on-line. Its authors identified specific instances in the DVD of genocide denial, and stressed that, just as TIME-Europe would rightfully not accept hateful Holocaust denial advertisements, it should not have circulated similarly false materials denying the Armenian Genocide. The letter concluded by calling on TIME-Europe to take three specific steps to rectify the situation it had created, including:
1) Disclose what, if any, official standards TIME Magazine employs in accepting or rejecting advertising. For example, would TIME have accepted a similarly hateful DVD denying the Holocaust.
2) Distribute, free of charge, a DVD prepared by the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) documenting the history of the Armenian Genocide and the modern-day consequences of this crime.
3) Donate the advertising revenues from this campaign to nonprofit organizations raising awareness about the Armenian Genocide and other instances of genocide.
Following the letter, TIME-Europe printed an apology for the dissemination of the DVD, stating that they had failed to properly review the DVD to establish its full contents before distributing it to their subscribers.
"TIME regrets distributing the DVD and we are very sorry for the offense it has caused. The so-called documentary portion of the DVD presents a one-sided view of history that does not meet our standards for fairness and accuracy, and we would not have distributed it had we been aware of its content. Unfortunately, the DVD was not adequately reviewed by anyone at TIME because it was believed to be a benign promotion piece. We have since changed our review process so as to guarantee more vigilance in future. We apologize to the Armenian community, and to our readers.”
The letter was published according to France’s “right to reply” law, first adopted in 1898, which compels a newspaper or magazine to allow an individual who has been defamed to provide a response of equal length. The law was later expanded to audio-visual material as well, with certain restrictions.
ANC of France Chairman Harout Mardirossian commented that the TIME-Europe apology and printing of the letter to the editor was the “the first result of a joint effort and long-term engagement by associations fighting against racism, anti-Semitism and for the defense of the memory of the Armenian Genocide." Mardirossian added, however, that the effort to rectify the situation has not ended, noting that, "If TIME Magazine thinks that this "right of reply" will settle the score on this issue, it is seriously mistaken. A one-paragraph response does not match the outreach of a 70 minute DVD and cannot address the humiliation and degradation felt by Genocide `survivors and their descendants as a result of this denialist propaganda." continued Mardirossian.
In an interview with the Armenian Weekly, Mardirossian did not rule out legal action in the TIME-Europe case, stating that “We, along with our partners [J’Accuse, Mémoire 2000, Council of French Armenian Organizations, Union of French Jewish Students] are ready, if necessary, to initiate a lawsuit against TIME, as well as the authors, producers and distributors of the DVD.”
Mardirossian added that the ANC-France had successfully taken on similar anti-defamation cases in the past, including a recent court victory against French encyclopedia company, QUID, whose 2002, 2003 and 2004 editions included historically inaccurate references denying the Armenian Genocide. The recently published 2006 edition of the QUID encyclopedia has removed all revisionist references, and correctly characterizes the events of 1915-1923 as genocide.
In the months leading up to the TIME-Europe apology, the ANC of France teamed up with the Armenian National Committee of America and European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) in initiating an international letter-writing campaign to TIME-Europe calling for swift action in response to DVD. Thousands responded to the call to action, expressing grave concern that TIME had sacrificed journalistic principles for a million dollar advertisement campaign.
A parallel effort to address the TIME-Europe DVD misinformation issue has also been pursued by the Switzerland-Armenia Organization, based on violations of Swiss law.
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