My farewell to the Weekly
September 28, 2020 marked my first day as a staff writer at The Armenian Weekly. It was just one day after Azerbaijan launched a full-scale attack on Nagorno-Karabakh, the Republic of Artsakh. Witnessing the horrors unfold from afar, the diaspora longed for information, and our small, committed staff stepped up to deliver real-time updates. Stretching our resources—as so many did in those days of urgent need—we converted our weekly newspaper into a daily news resource. As an early career reporter, the war was a rapid immersion into the rigor of breaking news. I learned how to cultivate sources, respond quickly to ever-evolving updates, and draft daily news reports.
In times of crisis, journalists have a clear set of responsibilities. This knowledge of my role has carried me through almost five years of reporting on some of the most catastrophic events to face the global Armenian nation in modern history—wars, border incursions, blockade, mass displacement, and the loss of a millenia-old Armenian homeland. I have traveled to Armenia to document stories of the women and children displaced from Artsakh and diaspora efforts to provide aid and support. I have channelled grief into the work of keeping our community informed, all with a commitment to honesty, integrity and journalistic ethics.
At home, the Weekly has taught me the power of local news. Faced with a media landscape that often excludes Armenian stories, for 91 years the Weekly has been a consistent and reliable source of news that matters to the Armenian diaspora. It is so transformative when people see their names and faces in the news and read stories that resemble their own. Some of my favorite stories to report have been hyperlocal, spotlighting the artistry, creativity and resilience of East Coast Armenian communities.
Yet there are also glaring gaps in traditional Armenian media. I am perhaps most proud of my efforts to elevate the stories of LGBTQ Armenians, to ensure that the most marginalized members of the Armenian diaspora feel included and represented by our legacy media. I am eternally grateful to the queer and trans Armenians who have entrusted me with their stories of survival and strength, of vision and vibrancy, and to the Weekly for giving me the platform to share my own.
Above all, I am indebted to my editors—Pauline Getzoyan, Leeza Arakelian and Lilly Torosyan—and my fellow staff, Nanar Avedessian and Hoory Minoyan. I am so proud to have worked alongside this team of tenacious, smart and compassionate women.
Next month, I will be stepping down from my role as assistant editor at The Armenian Weekly. I will join the Nashville Banner as a reporter, focused on accountability reporting on the state of K-12 education in Nashville, Tennessee. This is a double farewell—June marks the Weekly’s final month in print, as it fully transitions into the digital age. It is a remarkable, and perhaps fitting, ending to a period marked by so much history and change.
Best wishes Lillian.
You have been a wonderful asset to the Weekly. We will miss you but are very happy for the wonderful opportunity as a Reporter for the Nashville Banner. Go forth and be awesome.
Mark
I imagine I have read a good number of your writings and reporting. If I were to sum my impression it will be, you have been daring in breaking new grounds in Armenian journalism. I wish you well in your new endeavor.