News headlines grab attention. Don’t make the headline? No attention for you.

Well, at least that’s what it seemed like when Armenians were fighting for not only their lives, but for even as little as one ounce of recognition from the news.

Put Armenians in the headlines.

1915

April 24 is an honorable day of commemoration for the Armenian Genocide which took place in 1915. Over 1.5 million Armenian men, women and children were violently raped, tortured and slaughtered by the Turkish Ottoman Empire. Many were forcibly removed from their homes and displaced into other regions. This year marked the 110th anniversary.

“Genocide is a term used to describe violence against members of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group with the intent to destroy the entire group,” according to the History website.

This was not a fight over land, nor was this a fight with a cause. This was systematic killing done out of pure hatred and animosity toward Armenians, the first Christian nation; a largely achieved effort at both religious “Turkification” and ethnic cleansing. 

California has the largest Armenian population throughout the entire United States. Fresno State is the only college campus throughout the nation that hosts a monument built by an Armenian Studies Program to keep the Armenian culture alive.

It took almost 90 years for The New York Times to finally mention the term “Armenian genocide.” The Turkish government has denied that any genocide has taken place; the national American media has neglected to report about what the Armenians experienced, both time and time again. The local media have contributed a substantial amount to Armenian coverage. Figures like Stefani Booroojian, Jason Takhtadjian and Alexan Balekian have spoken up for the Armenian people of Artsakh; however as sad as it is, local media for a global issue is just not enough.

Takhtadjian attended the Armenian Genocide commemoration at Fresno State this past week and had his personal experiences to contribute to the conversation.

“It’s really unfortunate that we see constantly around the country, multiple remembrance days for different cultures for different tragedies be upheld without anyone really asking,” he said. “When it comes to the Armenian cause and the Armenian Genocide, it seemes like you kind of have to still pull teeth or you have to still put in extra leg work for people to kind of understand why this is important.” 

In 1915 the media was far less than what it is now. However, ask someone now what the Armenian Genocide is and most won’t know, even after we borderline experienced a second genocide approximately five years ago at the hands of Turkey’s closest relation, Azerbaijan. 

“Armenia is a small Christian nation surrounded by hostile neighbors,” said Harutyun Amirkhanyan, president of the Armenian Studies Organization (ASO) at Fresno State. “Turkey and Azerbaijan have historically shown animosity toward Armenia and have consistently tried to erase our culture and claim our land.”

2020

2020 brought the second war over Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh. The first war occurred between 1988-94, but the second one was the real path to destruction for the Armenians living in Artsakh. Armenian settlements and ethnic peoples have existed in Artsakh since almost the beginning of the region. Despite this, Azerbaijan still demands the region belongs to them. 

Due to Azerbaijan’s ruthless desire for land and control, they launched an attack and sparked a 44-day war with the Armenian military over the territory of Artsakh, on Sept. 27. With heavy artillery and the excessive use of weapons and drones, hundreds of Armenians were killed and displaced from Artsakh.

“During the war, I was in Armenia and it was rare to see CNN, BBC or other major news outlets reporting on it,” Amirkhanyan said. “When they did, the coverage failed to reflect the full reality or clarify who the aggressor was and who the victim was.”

By the time the war ended and a ceasefire agreement was signed on Nov. 9, 2020, Azerbaijan controlled over 70% of Artsakh. The agreement only lasted a few short years until Azerbaijan established a full blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Artsakh to Armenia, restricting all access to water, food, medicine and supplies for nine months.

“It’s more sinister than we like to think because a lot of geopolitics are involved, a lot of money is involved, a lot of resources are involved,” Takhtadjian said.

2023

Armenia currently has no allies to help them; the media failed to acknowledge what the Armenian people had to go through for so long. Before they knew it, 2023 came. 

2023 brought exactly what Azerbaijan wanted. One hundred thousand Armenians fled, if not killed, to Armenian territory to escape the Azerbaijani military forces. Azerbaijan showed no mercy for the small region with a far less powerful military due to the lack of support, resources and help that Armenia was receiving. 

“The trajectory of the war may have been shorter and less costly if the major powers had been more involved,” said Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Berberian Coordinator of Armenian Studies. “This can only be done through public opinion and support, which only comes if the major news outlets cover what is happening.”

There are currently only a few dozen Armenians remaining in Artsakh, only 1% of the region’s previous population count. 

Azerbaijan is now fighting with Armenia to build a corridor through present Armenian lands to have “easier access” to another portion of their territory. This is in the continuous effort to decrease Armenia’s territory by as much as possible.  

Where are the headlines?

Russia and Ukraine have been in battle for years on end now, as have Israel and Gaza, and the media has been quick to cover those wars non-stop.

The love of money and relevancy is a powerful thing. Major news outlets have proven that they will neglect stories like those of the Armenian community because they “aren’t as relevant” as the bigger powers. 

“When it comes to the Armenians, even when we talk about the Armenian Genocide, that is still not recognized by a majority of countries,” said Sareen Hairabedian, director of the Armenian documentary film ‘My Sweet Land.’ “If that what was 110 years ago is still being fought for recognition, then something could happen over and over again and the same will continue.”

Putting Armenians in the headlines is the least that can be done.