20/10/2010 Freedom of expression is very well established in Lebanon’s constitution and the international agreements and charters which Lebanon has signed, including the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
However, searching into the fundamentals of regulations just for information is ineffective as practice, according to the media reality in a certain country, is essentially more useful.
Unfortunately, in Lebanon, instability and tension are a chronic problem ever since the republic was created in the early years of the 20th century. Lebanon is known as the country of 18 Muslim and Christian sects. Consequently, sedition has always been the main concern of all parties who have been keen on the welfare of this country which has been under constant attack by Israel or by those who have no other weapon than sedition to attack.
CAN A MEDIA PERSON CREATE SEDITION?
The real danger lying in wait for Lebanon is the media that serve sedition.
“The relationship between a media person and countering threats, on top of which is sedition, is correlated with a series of measures, namely to avoid broadcasting any material that bears confessional or denominational insinuations. In general, the media should not relay any news to the people without authentication on the one hand, and a careful scrutiny of the repercussions of broadcasting news,” Ghaleb Qandil, National Audio-Visual Media Council member, told Al-Manar Website.
Qandil reminded of the incident two months ago in Beirut, when three people were killed in skirmishes in the Bour Abu Haidar area, including two Hezbollah members.
He said that ‘back then, many journalists sought to spread rumors and unfounded news, and consequently, they had to retract them. In this case, denying and retracting the news is not enough, because the news had already reached the audience that started to react, beyond control. This is where the danger lies, especially in a country like ours. Journalists should observe ethical standards, but unfortunately, in Lebanon, this is not the case they are under a political umbrella.”
KALAM EL-NAS, THE STRIDENT EXAMPLE
Last week, the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) broadcast an episode of the “Kalam el-Nas” talk show with colleague Marcel Ghanem. The theme of the episode was “armament” on the popular level in the face of Hezbollah and the more particular, the Shiite Muslims. The segments of the talk show focused on questions to mainly Sunni Muslims like: “What will you do if they (Hezbollah) attacked you?” “Will you buy arms to defend yourself against them?” Ghanem appeared more a side in the debate than a host.
Ghanem’s talks show last Thursday drew condemnations by Hezbollah, Sunni Muslim groups, the National Audio-Visual Media Council, among a spectrum of political and religious powers, and it is to be discussed during the next cabinet session this week.
“For instance, a strident example about the breech of professional standards and ethics is the ‘Kalam el-Nas’ episode, which caused a justified media clamor. The way the guests were picked up and they way special and individual cases were displayed could have threatened national peace and stability. Ghanem persisted in bringing his guest to give him the sought after answers. Colleague Ghanem blocked the opposite point of view and insisted on asking questions that agitated sectarian partisanships and incited divisions and strife.”
Qandil pointed out that it was not required to veil any of the hot topics in Lebanon, however he called on all media people to project any subject in a balanced manner, and not take sides with any group against another.
WHO HOLDS SEDITION SOWERS ACCOUNTABLE?
The Lebanese, in general, agree that the atmosphere which political debates have created recently is condemned. The Lebanese wonder, on the other hand, why no one is being held accountable.
Who dares stand in front of the powerful players who are sowing sedition without risking loosing his/her reputation or maybe his/her life? Who can move general attorneys? Before answering these questions, the media realm in Lebanon should cleanse itself by committing to all professional and ethical standards.
“It is not enough to repeat and memorize the (media) law; this should be translated into criteria that govern the performance of the people working in the media domain,” Qandil concluded.
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian
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