Epress.am News from Armenia
Three members of the KSEE (Channel 24.1) news team — reporter/ anchor Stefani Booroojian, photojournalist George Garnica and producer Paul Chaderjian — traveled to Armenia in mid-December at the invitation of the Armenian Tourist Council, reports the Fresno Bee.
“This trip was part of their efforts to promote tourism to boost the economy. They have spent a great amount of money on improvements in hope of attracting more tourists,” Booroojian says. “I hope our viewers find the stories interesting. It was an amazing adventure and I was delighted to get to go.”
They were part of a group of eight journalists who spent five days on a trip paid for by the Armenia Tourist Council and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Booroojian says station management didn’t feel there was a conflict of interest in accepting the trip from the subject of the coverage because it was a chance to share a unique view of a country of interest to viewers.
The KSEE team collected enough stories for a 10-part series that will air between Feb. 21 and 25. Two stories will be broadcast during the station’s morning show and then repeated during that day’s 6 and 11 pm newscasts.
Although the schedule was tight, the trio broke away for a few additional stories, including a look at the country’s cuisine, Americans (including a Clovis West grad) who live in Armenia and the bone marrow registry. Booroojian wanted to do a story on mammography centers in the country but was unable to secure any interviews.
“They aren’t as open about cancer as we are here,” she says.
Booroojian says she always had wanted to travel to Armenia and she is ready to go back.
“I’m not going to say it was a life-changing experience but I really felt like I was more in touch with my culture and my background,” Booroojian says.