Paris – Radio France Internationale has launched its eighteenth language service, establishing an Armenian‑language newsroom today, Monday, with a team of eight journalists and a mandate to engage young audiences via digital‑only platforms.
The new service strengthens France Médias Monde’s international presence and will produce content exclusively in Eastern Armenian, targeting social‑media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
Speaking to young people
Astrig Agopian, the desk’s editor‑in‑chief, noted that Armenian youth, like most young people today, are highly connected and have largely moved away from traditional media. To reach them, the desk will operate through social‑media channels.
The team’s primary aim is to inform, narrate, and fact‑check the news using innovative formats, supported by in‑country correspondents. Reporter Lilit Shahverdyan, originally from Nagorno‑Karabakh, will be sent to Armenia at the end of May to cover the upcoming legislative elections in real time, a role she described as “a gift from heaven.”
Fact‑checking will be a central pillar of the new service. Agopian warned that disinformation spreads rapidly among audiences that may lack the tools to recognise false information, given the fragile media environment. The desk will provide verified reporting and equip audiences with the tools needed to identify fake news.
A shifting press freedom picture
The launch occurs amid a concerning decline in press freedom. Under former journalist‑turned‑prime minister Nikol Pashinyan, Armenia rose from 80th place in the Reporters Without Borders index in 2018 to 34th in 2025, surpassing France. This year, the country slipped back to 50th place.
The decision to produce exclusively in Eastern Armenian is deliberate. Of the estimated 12 million Armenians worldwide, only about 3 million reside in the Republic of Armenia, a legacy of the mass displacement following the early‑20th‑century genocide.
Diaspora communities have, over generations, developed distinct dialectal variations, meaning Eastern Armenian is not universally spoken across the global Armenian community.
Elections and Disinformation
These elections constitute the desk’s first major test. Armenia, still navigating regional tensions after the conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno‑Karabakh, is already being targeted by a Russian disinformation campaign.
Similar to Hungary’s recent campaign, the prospect of closer ties with the European Union is a defining theme, a position firmly opposed by Moscow.
Agopian explained that the objective is to speak directly to citizens of the Republic of Armenia and expressed hope that diaspora audiences will also listen.
Team member Tsovinar Banuchyan, who holds a doctorate in arts, science and technology and has lived in France for sixteen years, views the role as personally meaningful. Working on video production, she says the desk allows her “to stay close to Armenia.”