Radio France Internationale Launches Armenian-Language News Service

Radio France Internationale inaugurated its eighteenth language service Monday with the launch of an Armenian-language newsroom staffed by eight journalists. The new desk will produce exclusively in Eastern Armenian and focus on digital platforms including Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to reach younger audiences who have largely abandoned traditional media.

Editor-in-Chief Astrig Agopian emphasized that the service prioritizes social media engagement, stating that Armenian youth are "ultra-connected" and traditional outlets no longer reach them effectively.

The desk will focus on news reporting, narrative storytelling, and fact-checking through innovative formats. Reporter Lilit Shahverdyan, originally from Nagorno-Karabakh, will cover Armenia's upcoming legislative elections beginning in late May. Fact-checking will be central to the service's mission, as Agopian noted that disinformation spreads rapidly in Armenia's fragile media landscape among audiences "not necessarily well-equipped to recognise false information."