Some Glimpses of the American-Armenian Press Published in English in the 1990s

Abstract

The article examines a question that practically has not been studied so far. The question refers to a number of Armenian publications in the USA and reveals certain challenges (ideological, thematic, financial, etc.) American-Armenian press faces. The reasons for the low quality and small circulation are revealed. Meantime, the article offers an analysis of the reasons of success of the relatively influential Armenian-English publications, namely – Asbarez, Armenian Mirror Spectator, Armenian Reporter.
The Armenian press in the Diaspora is experiencing very hard times. As the heads of the political parties of the Diaspora claim, the majority of the Armenians living in the Diaspora are not politicized and are mostly concerned with the challenges of surviving in the modern world.
The next problem the Armenian publications face is connected with lack of financial means.
Besides, publishers in the Diaspora do not have special reporters in Armenia. This is the reason why the Armenian press in the Diaspora has a vague and sometimes wrong idea of the developments in Armenia.
However publications such as Asbarez, Armenian Mirror Spectator, Armenian Reporter weeklies are exceptions, since they have more or less stable financial sources and regular readers. These newspapers have always been the most viable ones and have best reflected the political views of different classes and parties of the Armenians in America.