Monday, August 8, 2022
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
NEWSLETTER
ՀԱՅ
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
ՀԱՅ
No Result
View All Result

ABC7 Leaders ‘Listen-In’ to Armenian Community Concerns

by Contributor
September 2, 2016
in Community, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The ABC7 panle during the "Listen-in"
The ABC7 panle during the “Listen-in”

GLENDALE—Community members young and old filled the Karamanoukian Glendale Youth Center Tuesday evening for a unique opportunity to meet with top executives from ABC7. Led by ABC7 and hosted in partnership with the Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region, the Armenian Youth Federation Western US, and the Armenian Bar Association, the effort was aimed at cultivating a positive relationship between the news station and Armenian community members that reside in Southern California.
“A big thank you on behalf of all of us at ABC7 for organizing the ABC7 Listens meeting Tuesday night,” Stated ABC7 President/General Manager Cheryl Fair in a letter addressed to Asatryan after the event. “I thought it was a very worthwhile night. I was impressed by the passion, the community connection, and the thoughtfulness of those who attended. The issues discussed were meaningful and relevant. I know the entire ABC7 team got a lot out of the event and I expect you will see interesting stories developed in the future as a result.”
Community members packed the Karamanougian Youth Center for the ABC7 "Listen-In"
Community members packed the Karamanougian Youth Center for the ABC7 “Listen-In”

“We are very impressed by KABC’s outreach and leadership in putting this event together and their genuine interest in the issues that matter most to the Armenian-American community. Our combined partnership helped facilitate discussion and open dialogue between the station and members of the Armenian-American community, many of whom feel misrepresented and marginalized by the news media,” stated ANCA-WR Executive Director Elen Asatryan said. “The open-discussion meeting was a major step by one of the largest Los Angeles television channels in learning more about the community and serves as a template for other news agencies to follow. The ANCA-WR hopes this will result in accurate news reporting that is both cognizant of and sensitive to issues important to the Armenian-American community and looks forward to continue building a strong partnership with ABC7 and other media outlets.”
Moderated by ABC7 Eyewitness News Co-anchor Marc Brown, the event commenced at 7:00 pm with welcoming remarks by ABC7 President/General Manager Cheryl Fair and ANCA-WR Board Member Raffi Kassabian. This was followed by a listen-in panel, which included Fair, Director of Digital Operations for ABC7 Kevin Boie, Vice President and News Director of KABC TV Rob Elmore, Vice President of Diversity and Community Relations for KABC Teresa Samaniego, Vice President of Creative Services and Programming for KABC Kara McNeely, and ANCA-WR Executive Director Elen Asatryan.
In his remarks Kassabian thanked ABC7 for not only partnering in the evening’s town hall, but for taking the initiative back in April to immediately rectify the situation concerning the inaccurate reporting of the Armenian Genocide and for taking action with respect to KABC’s cameraman’s improper and anti-Armenian comments. He concluded by noting, “Tonight is a new chapter. A positive chapter in further building our working partnership with ABC7 to ensure that issues of concern to Armenian Americans are properly and accurately broadcasted to the American public.”
Audience members expressed concern over a pervasive lack of coverage when it comes to issues that directly affect Armenians, who make up a large portion of Los Angeles and the City of Glendale, where the station calls home. Topics ranged from the lack of proper coverage of the historic March for Justice that brought more than 166,000 protestors to the streets of Hollywood and more than 60,000 at the Rally for Justice in remembrance of the Armenian Genocide. There was also concern among various attendees over adequate coverage on the dictatorial states of Turkey and Azerbaijan. Community members called the panelists to always take into account the impact on local residents when covering international issues such as domestic developments in Armenia and the war in Syria.
Actor Ken Davitian, who has starred in major film productions like the Academy-nominated comedy Borat (2006) and Academy-winning comedy-drama The Artist (2011), said he would like to see more Armenian representation on-air, pointing to Fox 11’s anchor Araksya Karapetyan as an example. Others felt Armenians are too often portrayed in a negative light as perpetrators of local crime while more positive aspects of the community are ignored.
Both Fair and Elmore encouraged audience members to email them story ideas about events within the Armenian community and expressed their openness and willingness to improve coverage. KABC representatives also discussed various programming and social media as they distributed contact information and job opportunities for individuals interested in seeking careers with ABC.
Audience members also expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to voice their opinions and ideas out loud, reflecting a growing relationship between ABC7 and Los Angeles Armenians.
“The meeting was very engaging and informative,” Glendale Community College student Lori Sinanian said. “I came expecting generic responses from the facilitators, but I left feeling like our voices were really heard — loud and clear. It was encouraging to see ABC7 taking so of their much time to engage in our community and hear what we have to say.”
The Listen-In is a direct result of a meeting that took place between the ANCA-WR, AYF WUS, the ABA and KABC–TV’s leadership following a news report on the April 24th Rally for Justice protest during which the station included a known Armenian Genocide denier on air and the cameraman was caught on tape making bigoted anti-Armenian comments. At the time, the Armenian-American community expressed its outrage by reaching out to ABC7 by phone, email and social media to register its complaints and grievance. The station took immediate action confirming that the cameraman’s services will no longer be utilized, and issuing a statement of apology following the meeting along with a promise to work closely with the community in the future.
“We look to further building dialogue between our community and media outlets. While this was a great start, and we thank ABC7 for the opportunity, there’s much work to be done in ensuring that we have press outlets that accurately represent and mirror the communities they serve,” stated AYF WUS Board Member Gev Iskajyan.
The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

Contributor

Contributor

Next Post

Congressional Armenian Caucus Congratulates Artsakh On 25 Years of Independence

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

Russia Again Blames Azerbaijan for Ceasefire Violation

In Response to Lavrov, Yerevan Says it Voiced Concerns about Russian Peacekeepers in 2021

3 days ago
U.S. Wants to Assist Armenia in Reforms

Blinken Discusses Karabakh with Pashinyan, Aliyev

3 days ago

Connect with us

  • About
  • Advertising
  • Subscribe
  • Contact

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

Accessibility

Accessibility modes

Epilepsy Safe Mode
Dampens color and removes blinks
This mode enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode
Improves website's visuals
This mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode
Helps to focus on specific content
This mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode
Reduces distractions and improve focus
This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
This mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.

Online Dictionary

    Readable Experience

    Content Scaling
    Default
    Text Magnifier
    Readable Font
    Dyslexia Friendly
    Highlight Titles
    Highlight Links
    Font Sizing
    Default
    Line Height
    Default
    Letter Spacing
    Default
    Left Aligned
    Center Aligned
    Right Aligned

    Visually Pleasing Experience

    Dark Contrast
    Light Contrast
    Monochrome
    High Contrast
    High Saturation
    Low Saturation
    Adjust Text Colors
    Adjust Title Colors
    Adjust Background Colors

    Easy Orientation

    Mute Sounds
    Hide Images
    Virtual Keyboard
    Reading Guide
    Stop Animations
    Reading Mask
    Highlight Hover
    Highlight Focus
    Big Dark Cursor
    Big Light Cursor
    Navigation Keys

    Asbarez.com Accessibility Statement

    Accessibility Statement

    • www.asbarez.com
    • August 8, 2022

    Compliance status

    We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability.

    To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level. These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.

    This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.

    Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML, adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.

    If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email

    Screen-reader and keyboard navigation

    Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements, alongside console screenshots of code examples:

    1. Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website. In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels; descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups), and others. Additionally, the background process scans all of the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology. To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on as soon as they enter the website.

      These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.

    2. Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside of it.

      Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Disability profiles supported in our website

    • Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
    • Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
    • Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
    • ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
    • Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
    • Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments

    1. Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
    2. Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over 7 different coloring options.
    3. Animations – epileptic users can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
    4. Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
    5. Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
    6. Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
    7. Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.

    Browser and assistive technology compatibility

    We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers), both for Windows and for MAC users.

    Notes, comments, and feedback

    Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs, there may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to