Ahead of International Right to Know Day, the Freedom of Information Center (FOICA) organized a workshop with journalists. The initiative aimed to discuss the possibilities and challenges of the unified e-request online portal and to understand why journalists often avoid using this resource, preferring to send information requests to government bodies via email.
FOICA had identified this issue as early as April 2024. The results of the “Access to Information Right of Journalists in Armenia-2024” research showed that only 13% of journalists use the e-request platform. The reasons vary, from negative experiences to lack of trust, but journalists’ responses also suggest that information about the platform is limited and often outdated.
In light of these issues, as part of the Media Program in Armenia, FOICA launched a series of events aimed at raising awareness among journalists about the platform and promoting its usage. The project is implemented by Internews with the support of the USAID.
On September 26, FOICA brought together journalists and representatives of EKENG (Electronic Governance Infrastructure Implementation Office), which operates the platform, to discuss the needs of the journalistic community in this field and explore possibilities for improving the platform.
Some journalists admitted that they had tried to use the platform in its early stages but, after encountering technical difficulties, had not returned to it. For example, Taguhi Melkonyan, a journalist from News.am, pointed out that one obstacle was the requirement for an electronic signature. In fact, thanks to FOICA’s efforts, the signature requirement notice has long been removed from the platform’s homepage for requests. Moreover, a positive practice has developed where state agencies accept requests with a signature image. FOICA’s communications specialist Mane Madoyan shared their experience of submitting requests, assuring that no agency has demanded an electronic signature. FOICA sends requests via the e-request.am platform, always attaching a scanned copy with a seal and signature. Furthermore, in recent weeks, FOICA has sent requests without attachments and has received timely and complete responses in the vast majority of cases.
EKENG representatives at the meeting guided journalists through the step-by-step process of submitting online requests, noting that since the platform’s creation, several improvements have been made in collaboration with users and FOICА to simplify the process. Participants had the opportunity to ask various questions about the platform directly to the managing team and provide their suggestions for improvement at the end of the meeting.
Participants also emphasized the importance of the platform’s tracking feature. It is no longer necessary to make follow-up phone calls or emails to confirm that a request has been received or to check on its status. After sending a request, the platform sends a notification to the user’s email within minutes, confirming that the request has been registered in the government body’s document circulation system. The “Track Your Case” window allows users to monitor the status of the document at any time using a special control number, and if necessary, to contact the specific person handling it.
However, participants noted that not all agencies provide full transparency regarding the handling of documents. EKENG representatives explained the possible reasons for these differences and suggested that specific issues related to certain agencies be reported to them for direct communication with those government bodies to address any gaps.
Araks Avetyan, Head of the Project Management Department at EKENG, assured journalists that the process of improving the platform never stops. “We regularly conduct studies and assessments, analyze user behavior on the platform, and make changes accordingly.” She urged journalists to actively use the platform and, in case of any issues, to contact the team or submit feedback through the platform’s feedback tools, as user responses are an important source for making changes to the site.
Liana Doydoyan, FOICА’s Projects Coordinator, mentioned that FOICA will organize more events soon to promote the platform and encouraged participants to actively engage and contribute to making this important tool more accessible to the journalistic community.
The e-request platform was created in 2019 as an initiative of FOICА and on the recommendation of the Ministry of Justice of Armenia. Today, more than 200 state and local government bodies, as well as public institutions, are connected to the platform. The platform allows users to send requests, applications, or complaints online to the connected institutions. Users can also track the progress of their request using the provided control number and receive responses either through the platform or via their email.
