September 2, 2024
The media sector in Lebanon has long faced tremendous challenges over the past years, primarily the ability to maintain a message that serves the public interest, free from political manipulation or the promotion of specific agendas. This has been particularly difficult with a largely traditional media landscape that directly follows political parties.
However, following the political developments in Lebanon after 2019, alternative media platforms have emerged in abundance to serve as tools for providing alternative content, promoting press freedom, and achieving balance in the media scene. This type of unconventional media is characterized by a different narrative style, presenting data and facts in a way that resonates with society, particularly addressing the youth by engaging them on social media platforms, which are considered the most influential in our current era.
Today, alternative media institutions face numerous problems that hinder their ability to fulfill their role on both media and national levels. These include legal challenges, particularly regarding licensing, and the ability to secure financial sustainability to cover their expenses and those of their journalists. Additionally, the economic crisis that has hit Lebanon for years has affected all sectors, including media platforms.
According to a 2020 study on “Alternative Media Platforms in Lebanon” by the Maharat Foundation, alternative media faces challenges related to censorship, repression, and restrictions on freedom of expression for media entities. Another challenge faced by some alternative media outlets is their heavy reliance on volunteers who have joined platforms motivated by a cause or position without any funding source. Such platforms often lack the financial capacity to seek legal and technical support and to institutionalize their work.
Harsh Conditions for Workers in These Platforms
Journalists working in alternative media platforms face numerous challenges that others may not encounter, the most notable of which are legal perceptions and the injustices they may suffer in terms of employment contracts, salaries, and health insurance.
Journalist Jad Moulki notes that journalists in alternative media suffer from a lack of legal recognition and insufficient protection. Despite the existence of draft laws addressing the status of workers in this sector, they remain “punching bags” for many official entities.
Moulki says, “As workers in the audiovisual media sector through social media, we are not recognized under the current media law. Even the syndicate, which is supposed to defend our rights, imposes strict conditions, such as the need for years of experience to join. This situation places us in a continuous legal dilemma, as there is no clear framework that protects us or guarantees our rights as journalists.” He adds that the media experience he went through was far from his journalistic dreams, as he hoped for a media environment that supports and nurtures youth talents, but the reality has been quite disappointing.
For her part, journalist and founder of the Bashoufak platform (a regional platform in Chouf), Farah Al-Husseini, explained that the nature of employment contracts at Bashoufa relies on verbal agreements or short-term contracts due to limited financial resources. Al-Hassani emphasizes that the lack of long-term contracts negatively impacts the psychological and financial stability of the platform’s workers, increasing professional and personal pressures on them. She states, “We rely on the limited funding we receive through grants and projects to cover our basic expenses, making it difficult to provide stable and long-term contracts for our workers.” She adds that this situation creates an unstable work environment that affects the quality of journalistic production, as journalists are forced to look for additional or alternative job opportunities to secure their livelihoods. She believes that “job stability is a key element to ensure high productivity and quality in work, but unfortunately, the difficult financial situation makes it hard to achieve that at present.”
This situation is not limited to the Bashofak platform only; it is a general condition faced by most alternative media platforms in Lebanon. Journalists in these platforms face daily challenges related to job instability and the lack of sufficient legal protection, making them vulnerable to exploitation and violations of their rights. Al-Husseini concludes by saying, “We are working hard to improve the conditions of our workers, but this requires greater support from donors and governmental policies that recognize the importance of alternative media and provide a legal environment conducive to working freely and effectively.”
The Biggest Problem is Legal!
The Lebanese Press Law, issued in the 1960s, is currently the legal framework governing media work. Despite amendments over the years and the emergence of the audiovisual law in 1994, journalists still face legal challenges that contradict international standards for freedom of expression and human rights, to which Lebanon was one of the first signatories.
The current media law does not recognize electronic media, including alternative media, particularly regarding the issuance of licenses or official notifications that allow it to operate legally. This complicates the legal environment for media and deprives journalists of their rights, restricting their ability to access information, in clear violation of the Right to Information Law issued in 2017.
Journalist Karl Haddad (co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Naqd platform) clarifies regarding licensing and legal procedures that they have licensed a private marketing and advertising company through which they can allocate a portion of the profits to sustain the Naqd platform away from political and partisan funding. He also points out the difficulty of registering the platform to operate within a clear legal framework. The platform’s team has considered other options, such as obtaining official notifications from the National Council for Audiovisual Media or registering the platform as an association with the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, but ultimately decided to register as a civil company that does not seek profit and is concerned with media matters away from the oversight of the National Council for Audiovisual Media or the Ministry of Interior.
Al-Hassani explains that for legal aspects, Bashofak is registered as a website with the National Council for Audiovisual Media, and the Bashofak team is still working towards registering as a civil or commercial company.
She states, “Unfortunately, the media law currently proposed and in force does not recognize alternative media, which hampers our freedom of movement. In the absence of a legal framework for alternative platforms, it is difficult to build trust with citizens. Furthermore, the lack of legal recognition of alternative platforms complicates distinguishing between professional platforms and those that violate the profession and negatively affect the reputation of alternative media.”
Funding is the Foundation of Sustainability
Financial stability is essential for all media, especially alternative media, as it is the primary guarantor of their independence and ability to avoid external pressures and dictates.
Media management specialist Hassan Shaaban explains that the financial crisis in Lebanon since 2019 has led to economic inflation and the collapse of the local currency, negatively impacting the funding of alternative media platforms. Most of these platforms have become reliant on external funding, creating intense competition for this funding.
Shaaban details the challenges as follows:
– Weak Infrastructure: The deterioration of technological infrastructure in Lebanon has made the cost of communications and internet high, complicating the operation of alternative platforms.
– Financial and Legal Restrictions: These platforms face legal complexities due to banking restrictions on transfers and deposited funds.
– Impact of Financial Challenges on Independence: Relying on external funding may lead to interventions in editorial policies, threatening the independence of platforms. Long-term sustainability becomes difficult without diverse funding sources, impacting the continuity of platforms and content quality.
In this context, journalist and field reporter Jad Moulki provides a model of the financial and legal challenges faced by alternative media in Lebanon through his personal experience with the social media radio station, “Naba.” He states, “I have worked since 2022 as a field reporter at Naba, gaining valuable professional experience and social connections. However, the deteriorating financial reality forced me to resign.”
Moulki adds, “My resignation came about a month and a half after the institution cut its budget due to weak funding. The institution was unable to pay our dues or secure necessary production equipment, citing ‘no budget,’ while we were requesting opportunities to develop our production and expand its content; the answer was always the same.”
Responding to a question about Bashoufak’s ability to face financial challenges, journalist Farah Al-Husseini states, “Grants and projects are part of our funding, and we also rely on providing media services to commercial companies or covering activities for non-profit institutions operating on specific activities in the region, and these covers are often paid, allowing us to ensure the platform’s sustainability.”
Al-Husseini adds, “In my opinion, alternative or regional media has the opportunity for financial gain if operated properly, as any commercial project opened in the region is of interest to the local population. Hence, the importance of regional media in directing the area and its residents toward these commercial projects. Therefore, we can say that regional media contributes to revitalizing the local economy and stimulating economic activity.”