Brazilian Journalists Visit AUA
2 min readYEREVAN, Armenia — The American University of Armenia (AUA) welcomed several journalists from Brazil: Fernanda Simas, Betina Anton, Luciane Scarazzati, Fernando Andrade and Filipe Figueiredo, all leading journalists in their respective fields of television, radio, news website, newspaper and podcast production. Filipe Figueiredo, for example, is the host of the largest podcast in Brazil focused on geopolitics.
The journalists’ tour of Armenia was organized by AGBU Brazil and included a first-day visit to AUA as a leading higher education institution that offers courses in media, journalism, and civic engagement in the media in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS). AUA’s Vice President of Operations (COO) Ashot Ghazaryan and Narek Ghazaryan Chief Communication Officer (CCO) welcomed the guests to AUA and led a tour of the university, briefing them about the history of the founding of the University, its programs, accomplishments, new initiatives, and current growth trajectory. In his words, it was “a great pleasure to host journalists from abroad at AUA. I look forward to working with colleagues from Armenia and abroad in bringing best practices in journalism to AUA.” The tour included a visit to the upcoming Media Lab, currently under construction.
The AUA Media Lab will serve as a center for promoting the development of a civic press and supporting the growth and advancement of the Armenian media landscape. The guests learned how AUA is leading the efforts that will evolve the Armenian media industry, thereby fostering citizen engagement and strengthening democratic culture. Most importantly, the initiative will realize the proper discernment and dissemination of information throughout the country.
The incentive of sponsoring journalists from Brazil to visit Armenia was initiated by AGBU Brazil particularly for raising awareness of the ongoing issues surrounding Armenia and Artsakh, topics that do not get much coverage in Brazil. Hence AGBU initiated this 12-day trip to Armenia inviting five leading journalists to take an exploratory discovery journey and to learn first-hand about the circumstances surrounding the region, especially the prevailing encumbrances in Artsakh. Antonio Carlos Sandoval, one of the AGBU Brazil staff explains how “this is an unprecedented initiative sponsored by AGBU Brazil and by being in the country and meeting key people of the Armenian society and visiting important places like AUA show them [the journalists] the richness of the country and how thriving, diverse and unique it is.”
The journalists are set to visit Goris and Tegh. The group will also be meeting with news outlets in Armenia, including CivilNet and EVN Report. With these new relationships being forged between Armenian and Brazilian media, AUA will be a major player in future collaborations and partnerships with journalists from Brazil.
Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.
