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Media Landscape: Lebanon

Lorenzo Trombetta, Caterina Pinto, Roberto Renino

European Journalism Centre (2020)

"The Lebanese media sector is facing a profound crisis and there are many journalists and media staff, working in the local and pan-Arab media outlets based in Beirut, who have not been paid for long time or have lost their jobs. As-Safir, a historic newspaper, was forced to close, and An-Nahar has ... weakened and had to restructure. Even Al-Arabiya and Al-Jazeera offices in Beirut and in the region have reduced the number of their staff members. The only media outlets that resist are those financed by large investors, linked to political-sectarian actors in the region. In the 1970s, Lebanon offered a unique cultural openness and freedom of expression. Beirut was the region’s media hub and the target of important funding for its publications. Investors included Iraq’s former president Saddam Hussein, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, deposed Tunisian president Ben Ali, as well as Saudi royals. Lebanese newspapers were read throughout the Arab world and used to feature articles and op-eds by personalities from all over the region. Gulf countries, but also Iraq and Libya, used to finance Lebanese newsrooms to carry out and support their political battles. As a result, the injection of foreign funding was abundant and steady. Nowadays, with the global economic crises and the new channels of the Gulf, that money has been inexorably vanishing. From the second half of the 19th century, decades before the creation of independent Lebanon in 1946, Beirut boasted pre-eminence in the surrounding Arab regions for the freedom of expression enjoyed by its several newspapers. These are indeed the oldest and most important in the area. Even today, the smallest country in the Middle East is an exception compared to its Arab neighbours in terms of pluralism of the press and broad range of readers. Despite a history of turmoil, Lebanon’s well-educated and critical population has led to one of the most diverse and sophisticated press and media landscapes in the Arab Levant. With newspapers and media outlets in four different languages (Arabic, French, English and Armenian), Beirut has a vibrant media community with relatively high professional standards and free from State control. The Lebanese press does, however, reflect the limitations of the sectarian system that dominates the country, where a newspaper or a TV station is more often than not identified with one of the main religious and political groups. With the media being entangled to the national politics and international influence peddling, journalists are often required to act like political activists. On the one hand the Lebanese State does not control media outlets, contrary to what happens in many other Arab countries; however, on the other hand, political parties have the power to influence and direct the majority of Lebanese media institutions, which therefore reflect the country’s sectarian politics and all too often serve as the mouthpiece for political propaganda. Since media outlets do not rely on readership, but rather on investors as a source of revenue, there is little – if any – interest in producing quality journalism. Moreover, the deep and long-lasting economic crisis did not spare the media and in particular the newspapers. The media sector started to suffer heavily from 2016, when shortage of funding hit several companies and outlets, with the consequent inability of producing quality content and paying wages. Regardless of the political affiliation, the whole sector has reported negative trends and suffered from financial problems, reducing the number, the quality and the circulation of newspapers. The situation faced by Lebanese media reached a critical dimension, as it was defined “free falling” (The Guardian) and “dying” (Middle East Eye). It is unfortunately a common practice to bribe journalists to publish a certain piece of information, or – on the contrary – to avoid any further analysis on specific matters. With the financial crisis newsrooms have been facing, it is even harder for journalists to resist such offers. Lebanese syndicates have asked the government to support the country’s media. Former minister of information Ramzi Joreige announced in 2016 the creation of a $10m fund to back Lebanese newspapers, but the plan was never voted on in parliament. With the creation of a new cabinet in late January 2020, the newly appointed minister of Information is Manal Abdul Samad, an expert on taxation and fiscal policies, with experience in university teaching. In the first months of her mandate, she showed commitment in proposing reform plans for the information and media sector in Lebanon. Considering the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemics, the minister expressed concern on the accuracy of news broadcasted and the intention of drafting a plan to overview and regulate the spread of fake news regarding the virus. In May 2020, she presented a plan for the complete restructuring of the Ministry of Information and the public media sector, which is still under the government’s consideration." (Overview) more

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Online surveillance and the repressive Press Council Bill 2018. A two-pronged approach to media self-censorship in Nigeria

Olunifesi Adekunle Suraj

In: Journalist Safety and Self-Censorship

Ingrid Fadnes, Anna Grøndahl Larsen, Roy Krøvel (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2020), pp. 80-99

"This chapter examines the perceptions of Nigerian journalists towards the Nigerian Press Council Bill 2018 and the governments’ online surveillance. The study employs survey and interview methods: 217 Nigerian media practitioners selected from print and online media responded to the questionnaire ... more

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COVID-19: The Role of Judicial Operators in the Protection and Promotion of the Right to Freedom of Expression: Guidelines

Joan Barata

Paris: UNESCO (2020), 13 pp.

"Judges and courts, both at national and regional levels, will find these guidelines useful to ensure the application of international and regional human rights standards of freedom of expression and privacy when ruling on cases involving States’ responses to the COVID-19 outbreak that have an imp ... more

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What Compels Journalists to Take a Step Back? Contextualizing the Media Laws and Policies of Bangladesh

Janina Islam Abir, Tanbir Farhad Shamim

In: Handbook of Research on Combating Threats to Media Freedom and Journalist Safety

Sadia Jamil (ed.)

Hershey, PA: IGI Global (2020), pp. 38-53

"Reports by international organizations suggest that physical violence and threats against journalists and bloggers continued with impunity in Bangladesh, resulting in the country being ranked as 146 in the World Press Freedom Index 2018. Considering the increasing incidents of violence against jour ... more

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"We Might Call You in at Any Time": Free Speech Under Threat in Iraq

Belkis Wille

New York: Human Rights Watch (2020), 50 pp.

"In this report, Human Rights Watch documents 33 cases between 2016 and 2020 in which authorities in areas controlled by the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have arrested, brought charges against, and sentenced journalists, activists, and other dissenting voices under ... more

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Media Studies: Critical African and Decolonial Approaches
Deep Insights

Sarah Chiumbu, Mehita Iqani (eds.)

Cape Town: Oxford University Press Southern Africa (2020), xii, 340 pp.

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Final Report. Jordan Media Assessment: Media Landscape Analysis

USAID; Management Systems International (MSI) (2020), 98 pp.

"The Media Landscape Analysis is Component I of the Jordan Media Assessment, a comprehensive review of the media sector in Jordan. Based on a thorough desk review of existing research on Jordan’s media scene, it focuses on the legal framework, political will and economic context that affect the wo ... more

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Reporting Facts: Free from Fear or Favour

Marius Dragomir

Paris: UNESCO (2020), 52 pp.

"In a growing number of countries around the world, the greatest menace to editorial independence and professional standards is media capture, a form of media control achieved through a series of premeditated steps taken by governments and powerful interest groups, which undermines journalism as a p ... more

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Tanzania Media Laws: A Handbook for Practitioners

USAID (2019), 70 pp.

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Media Sustainability Index 2019: The Development of Sustainable Independent Media in Europe and Eurasia

Linda Trail (ed.)

Washington, DC: IREX (2019), xxi, 308 pp.

"The 2019 Europe and Eurasia Media Sustainability Index (MSI) saw another improvement in the combined average score for the 21 countries studied: In 2018, the combined average score was 1.84, and in 2019 this increased to 1.86. In comparison with the previous year’s study, there were modest gains ... more

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Media Ownership Monitor Pakistan

Reporters Without Borders; Freedom Network (2019), 1134 pp.

"The Media Ownership Monitor found that a high degree of concentration in ownership and audience share prevails in the media industry in Pakistan and a professionally weak regulatory system poses a threat to media pluralism and freedom of expression in the country." (http://Pakistan.mom-rsf.org/en)

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African Media Barometer: Madagascar 2019

Windhoek: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) (2019), 54, 56 pp.

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Dashed Hopes: The Criminalization of Peaceful Expression in Myanmar

Linda Lakhdhir

Human Rights Watch (2019), 87 pp.

"This report—based largely on interviews in Myanmar and analysis of legal and policy changes since 2016—assesses the NLD government’s record on freedom of expression and assembly in its more than two years in power. It updates Human Rights Watch’s prior report, “They Can Arrest You at Any ... more

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Media Ownership Monitor Egypt

Reporters Without Borders (2019), 687 pp.

"A hostile takeover of Egypt’s media is under way, leaving the influence on public opinion to be controlled by the state, the secret services and a few wealthy owners loyal to the regime and with close ties to the former president Hosni Mubarak. In a move to gain influence over the State-owned med ... more

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Media Sustainability Index 2020: The Development of Sustainable Independent Media in Sri Lanka

Washington, DC: IREX (2019), 22 pp.

"The year 2019 was challenging for Sri Lanka, with the Easter Sunday Attacks and the subsequent anti-Muslim riots paralyzing the country and the economy. After the Easter Sunday attacks, the first terrorist attacks on Sri Lankan soil in a decade, it was expected that the media would play a responsib ... more

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African Media Barometer: Tanzania 2019

Windhoek: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) (2019), 59 pp.

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Assessment of Media Development in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Based on UNESCO's Media Development Indicators

Anja Gengo, Enis Omerovic, Kristina Cendic

Paris: UNESCO (2019), 139 pp.

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African Media Barometer: Nigeria 2019

Windhoek: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) (2019), 60 pp.

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Media Sustainability Index 2019: Kosovo

Washington, DC: IREX (2019), 22 pp.

"Kosovo’s overall score for the MSI dropped slightly this year, in comparison to its overall score of 2.56 in the previous year’s study. Despite this decline, Kosovo remains in the “near sustainability” classification. The 2019 chapter for Kosovo shows drops in the scores for the freedom of ... more

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Media Influence Matrix: Kyrgyzstan. Government, Politics and Regulation

Gulnura Toralieva

Budapest: Center for Media, Data and Society (CMDS) (2019), 22 pp.

Media Studies: Critical African and Decolonial Approaches Deep Insights

Media Studies: Critical African and Decolonial Approaches
Deep Insights