Lebanese Information Minister Comments on Media Role in Political Crisis
The Lebanese National News Agency at 1100 gmt on 11 April carries a report on the seminar held by Maharat [Skills] Organization at the Commodore Hotel under the slogan “The role of the news media in building the culture of peace” attended by Information Minister Ghazi al-Aridi and the Lebanese journalists dean, Muhammad al- Ba’lbakki.
According to the report, Rula Mikah’il from Maharat delivered the opening statement in which she referred to “the obstacles obstructing the culture of peace in the Lebanese news media.”
According to the report, Minister Al-Aridi then delivered his statement, in which he thanked Maharat Organization for the periodic seminars held under this slogan, in addition to the series of activities it has organized to improve the media in Lebanon.
Al-Aridi said: “We have previously met in the first meeting under the same slogan. The booklet in our hands explains what took place in that meeting. And since then, many developments have occurred during which the news media faced new experiences and raised many questions. “
He said: “When we speak about peace we must pause at the word peace, which is often repeated on the international and regional levels, especially with regard to the conflict with Israel.”
“In this situation,” he added, “I don’t see the media being neutral. I mean that our stand on the conflict with Israel is on the side of our Palestinian brothers and their struggle for self- determination on their land.”
Continuing, he said: “We media men have a duty to be part of this battle. Of course, we crave for peace and have an interest in it. After all, we are the victims of the terrorism that is being practised by Israel and supported by the successive US administrations. It is our duty as media men to be involved in this process, but without any demagogy.”
Regarding the internal crisis, which, he said, reached an acute level and a very deep crisis of confidence between the politicians, marked by a political discourse that had reached a low level, Minister Al-Aridi said: “I say and repeat now that the media are not responsible for what is taking place in the country. It is the politicians who are responsible. But does this mean that the media do not assume any part of the responsibility? Certainly not; we must assume some responsibility, but the general climate in the country was not created by the Lebanese media, whether the written, visual, or audio. In the end, it reflects the current deep political dispute in the country.”
The minister was asked: “How big is the gap separating the two responsibilities? This is because if we said that the politicians are responsible, it is as if we acquit ourselves as media men of any error or intentional or non-intentional practice.” Al-Aridi said: “We as media men have a responsibility that falls within the boundaries of our professional work. We cannot ignore any event or speech by any political leader or government official. We cannot ignore it, no matter how harsh it is. This is the reality. In a country like Lebanon, with its diversity and which we insist on building and strengthening, no one can cancel anyone or ignore anyone. Therefore, according to the logic of media rivalry, if a speech is not published here it will be published elsewhere and if a news report is not broadcast here it will be broadcast elsewhere, and so on.”
Al-Aridi referred to the threats faced by journalists for publishing certain news items and said: “As journalists, we are all threatened. Where is the peace when we are attacked; yet we are the messengers of peace in our mission?
According to the report, the first speaker during the general debate was Dean Muhammad Ba’lbakki. He said: “I would like to proceed in my speech from the truth about the existence of a strong common factor between the responsibility of the news media and the responsibility of the politicians. This is not new. It goes back to the beginnings of the Civil War. At first, all the parties to the Arab Deterrent Forces called for the imposition of prior censorship on the Lebanese press. This was during the government of Prime Minister Al-Huss and under the administration of President Sarkis. Legislative Decree No 1 was thus issued and the government exercised its authority through prior censorship of the press. We objected then and submitted a memo. But we preferred that the press should abide by the press censorship decree, which was implemented by the director general of public security.”
He added: “At one time the public security issued an order to suspend the National News Agency for 10 days for failing to abide by the censorship order. When we checked with President Sarkis he said: “I have no powers. But we can ask the director general of public security to reduce the penalty to four days. In 1985, the decree was cancelled under a unanimous decision by the government.”
Originally published by Lebanese National News Agency website, Beirut, in Arabic 1100 11 Apr 08.
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