Media’s Performance… More than ‘Catastrophic’!

Hussein Assi "Catastrophic": this is how Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah described the media's behavior in regards to the issue of the Lebanese pilgrims abducted in Syria. The word might be shocking, especially that Sayyed Nasrallah is known for his support to the media and the freedom of expression. Yet, it has its justifications: All that the media cared about was to break the news and get a scoop, disregarding the feelings of the abductees' families. Sayyed Nasrallah was referring to breaking news which claimed that the 11 Lebanese hostages had been killed after an airstrike near where they are thought to be held. Lebanon's Foreign Ministry denied the reports, but their families took to the streets in protest and blocked the airport road for several hours.     WHEN EXCLUSIVE SCOOPS BECOME MEDIA CONCERN   It might be unfair to hold the Lebanese media responsible of the state's failure in dealing with a sensitive issue, such as the Lebanese pilgrims abducted in Syria. Yet, the media's performance in regards to this issue was not perfect since the first day, even though the media portrayed it as a priority. The media, alongside the politicians, made the first mistake days after the abduction, when they announced a wrong "happy ending" which did not turn to be true. The Lebanese remember well this day, the day in which they celebrated what they believed to be the "freedom" of the abductees, before perceiving that they were still abductees. Following this "historic" day, politicians decided to change their behavior and decided to quietly dealing with the issue, without propaganda. Media did not. Media outlets approached the humane calamity from a media coup perspective. Exclusive scoops became the main concern of the media, with the so-called "Abu Ibrahim" becoming the main "star" in the Lebanese reality-TV show. The man claimed to be the "abductor", and appeared in exclusive interviews with the abductees themselves, who were forced to praise him. Some TV reporters were able to join Abu Ibrahim and his company, and long hours were dedicated especially for him.     THE BLACK WEDNESDAY   All what preceded could be justified. It is the "humane aspect" of the cause which pushed Lebanese journalists to follow it until the end. However, the most "tragic moment" took place on Wednesday, August 15, 2012, or what has been called the "black Wednesday."  On this day, rumors triumphed, with media outlets disseminating news that the 11 abductees were killed in strikes on the Syrian city of Azaz. That's it. With this simplicity and naivety, such a dangerous and suspicious information reached media. It started with the number four. "Exclusive sources told our station that four of the eleven Lebanese abducted in Syria were killed in an airstrike where they live," one station said. Immediately, most Lebanese TVs, radios and websites were exchanging the news. Suddenly, another reporter had something, even more dangerous, to add. "I have very bad news, I wish I didn't have to declare it," the reporter said, before setting the bomb off: "Well-informed sources confirmed exclusively to our station that the Lebanese authorities were informed of the fate of all the abductees in Syria (...) Yes, they were all killed, alongside Abu Ibrahim and his gang."     UNINTENTIONAL MISTAKE... BUT!   In conclusion, there were mistakes in the media coverage of the recent events. However, these errors were unintentional, Abdul Hadi Mahfouz, the head of the Audio Visual Media Council, said in an exclusive interview with moqawama.org. Mahfouz: "The sanctions we could adopt might reach the level of... shutting down some stations!" "Al-Jadeed and LBCI TV stations violated the law when they based their news on false and unreliable sources, such as Abu Ibrahim (the abductor) and Mohammad Nour (the abductors' spokesman)," Mahfouz said. Yet, Mahfouz highlighted the risks of such news. "They have caused chaos, and they might have led to the killing of other abductees held by other sides or to spontaneous, not calculated reactions," he added.   According to Mahfouz, media outlets should change its way of dealing with such news. "It goes without saying that any journalist must resort to various sources in covering any news, given that the abductor, in our case, might use the media outlet and exploit it for his interest. Even more, it's evident that Abu Ibrahim sought to create sedition through the media."     APOLOGY, UNDERSTANDING...   On Friday, the Audio-Visual Media Council held a meeting, which was attended by information Minister Walid Daouk, council members, the heads of administration boards and news directors for media institutions. The meeting was aimed at discussing the mentioned "violations" and taking "measures" against some media outlets.   Despite reports the council could suggest that Al-Jadeed and LBCI be shut down for a short time or issued with warnings, no "sanctions" in this regard were issued. The council's head Abdul Hadi Mahfouz explained to moqawama.org that there were many possible options to be adopted, especially that the political coverage to the council was available. "Yet, we favored to reach some kind of consensus among media outlets, and we thought that requesting apologies is better at this stage," he said. "The two concerned stations told us that they have already apologized from the families of the abductees, and we accepted the apology," he went on to say. Mahfouz uncovered that the attendees have agreed to reject the use of Abu Ibrahim as a source of information anymore. "We also agreed on the need to make sure of all sources of information, prevent any information that could lead to disorder and sedition," the head of the Audio-Visual Media Council said, as he stressed that all media outlets must respect the law, which is built on solid principles including objectivity and safeguarding civil peace. He said that some outlets may be dealing with young journalists, who are still new and don't know their duties and, therefore, can turn to be victims. "In conclusion, all the media outlets were committed to reconsider their situation in order to present their views in another meeting, scheduled next week at NBN headquarters."   SHUTTING OFF OUTLETS... POSSIBLE!   What happened during the last few days was an unintentional mistake. And because it was unintentional, the Audio-Visual Media Council refused to impose sanctions, and gave the media outlets another "chance" to correct the performance, before it becomes too late. But what guarantees the same scenario would not repeat itself? And what if the search of the scoop, amid the fierce competition taking place, could lead to the same "unintentional mistakes"? The answer comes quick, but solid and firm. "In case the violations were repeated and false news were fabricated, whether intentionally or unintentionally, we will fully assume our responsibilities," Mahfouz said. "The sanctions we could adopt might reach the level of... shutting down some stations!" he concluded. Source: moqawama.org

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