“If you behave like animals, we won’t talk to you anymore.”
It has been over a month since US envoy Thomas Barrack addressed these words to Lebanese journalists gathered at a press conference following his talks with President Joseph Aoun regarding the potential disarmament of the Hezbollah movement. In light of recent developments, this moment remains crucial to revisit.
Barrack, responding to journalists shouting questions at him—as is common at press conferences—stated that he expected civilised behaviour. He added that this was precisely the main problem in the region at the moment.
Another member of the delegation, Senator Lindsey Graham, did not fare much better. When asked when the Israeli army would withdraw from still-occupied territories and end its ongoing attacks on Lebanese soil, he replied: “Don’t ask me anything about Israel until you disarm Hezbollah. Once that’s done, we can have another conversation.”
The response showed double disregard. Firstly, it ignored the fact that journalists personally suffered ongoing Israeli aggression, which has already claimed over four thousand lives and caused widespread destruction. Those present in the room have lost their colleagues covering the war and might have also lost their loved ones. Moreover, disrespectful remarks clearly disregarded the role of journalists as professionals holding public figures accountable.
Why should this concern the wider public? And what does the current media landscape in Lebanon look like?
Internal silencing
Lebanese media are currently experiencing simultaneous increases in both internal and external pressures. Events in Lebanon are frequently explained through the lens of the local sectarian system.
Lebanon’s parliamentary system is based on sectarian representation, with political seats allocated according to religious affiliation. While the system claims to balance power among the country’s diverse communities, it often deepens divisions, limits cross-sectarian cooperation and reinforces clientelism. The media are no different in this regard.
However, scholars like Rima Majed warn that stressing Lebanon’s political identity divides often echoes a divide-and-rule logic rather than real analysis.
Most Lebanese media remain in the hands of a few dozen powerful families from all political affiliations. The close ties between media owners and ruling elites have pushed Lebanon to the bottom of global press freedom rankings. Around the world, media often belong to people who hold both political and economic power, and Lebanon is no different; nevertheless, these connections are openly direct.
Over the past decade, several independent media outlets have emerged, seeking to challenge a landscape dominated by elite interests. Some, however, have faced targeted campaigns aimed at silencing their work.
In 2023, two cases were brought against journalists: Lara Bitar, editor-in-chief of the investigative outlet The Public Source, for her reporting on toxic waste management, and the founder of the independent platform Megaphone Jean Kassir. These attempts to silence journalists through state security institutions sparked a wave of both local and international support. One case has since been dropped, while the other remains pending.
Since the start of this year, legal pressure has again targeted the independent outlets Megaphone and Daraj. Journalists from both platforms have been summoned by security and cybercrime authorities and faced defamation complaints after publishing investigative reports.
At the same time, a draft media law under discussion in parliament has alarmed press freedom advocates because it would maintain or reintroduce criminal penalties for defamation, insult and blasphemy and could allow pretrial detention for speech-related offences. The measures would curb independent reporting and may be used to criminalise critical journalism.
Beyond the previously mentioned outlets, Lebanon’s independent media landscape features several other platforms dedicated to critical journalism and civic engagement, such as Al-Rawiya and Al-Sifr, accompanied by research institutions focused on monitoring and reporting on various underreported social struggles, such as Public Works and Legal Agenda.
While these platforms continue to contribute to a diversifying media ecosystem, all journalists, regardless of their affiliation, face a much larger direct threat.
Underreported Deaths
The year 2024 was the deadliest on record for journalists worldwide, with 70 per cent of the deaths caused by the State of Israel. At least nine of these killings took place in southern Lebanon, yet they received scant attention from Western media. The limited coverage of their colleagues’ deaths raises serious questions about the balance and objectivity of reporting from the region.
In addition, representatives of major Western publishing houses attended a guided tour of occupied southern Lebanon under the supervision of the IDF, which took place on the one-year anniversary of the killing of Reuters reporter Issam Abdallah.
This highlights the vital role of local journalists. Undermining them – as enacted by the US envoy’s representatives in a press conference in Beirut – can turn simple disrespect into a much darker path.
Concerning Future
While the violence against journalists in Gaza is unprecedented and cannot be directly compared to the situation in Lebanon, a striking parallel emerges. Israel has justified the killing of Lebanese journalists by claiming they were collaborating with terrorists or were terrorists disguised as journalists. The same narrative is used to justify the targeting of reporters in Gaza.
US representatives’ treatment of Lebanese journalists adds another warning sign. Refusing to recognise them as professionals and instead treating them as a random part of the local population edges dangerously close to dismissing journalists as “not real journalists,” undermining their work and paving the way for far grimmer consequences.
As US influence in Lebanon rapidly expands, future developments require far closer scrutiny from the broader public and international media. Not only to bear witness to continuing Israeli crimes, but also to keep uncovering recurring mechanisms of paternalistic and imperialistic dominance.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Media Diversity Institute. Any question or comment should be addressed to [email protected]
