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Is the Daily Press Still Worthy of our time?
September 25, 2006
When the 1975 Lebanese war started most, if not all, foreign correspondents
and international news agencies were located in the business and tourism
districts of Beirut. These districts fell under the control of the leftist and
Palestinian militias. These mostly Syrian backed outlaws harassed, intimidated,
and slaughtered local and foreign journalists who did report against them.
The main objective was to distort the truth in order to rally Arab and Western
support to their “cause,” and to discredit the loyal Lebanese resistance which
was battling terrorism. Their integrity in reporting was hampered by the climate
of lawlessness and lack of freedoms imposed by the rebellious armed militias.
It was not uncommon to see commentaries made by members of the Western
media resonating those made by the communist, socialist, pro Palestinian and
pro Syrian media. This came at a time when East battled West during the so-called Cold War. Consequently, a
host of misleading terms and coerced “studies” were filed in the archives of media outlets. Surprisingly, these
false “studies” and twisted terms are being used today by many indolent media personnel when dealing with the
Lebanese issue.
For example, on September 24, 2006, in its article titled Thousands of Christians rally in Lebanon, which was
meant to cover the memorial mass of the Lebanese Forces martyrs in Lebanon, the Associated Press (AP)
labeled the thousands of participants as “right-wing Christians” who “turned out at a tumultuous rally” which was
led by a “notorious anti-Syrian former warlord.” By referring to the participants as “right wing Christians” the AP
has portrayed the attendees as radicals and sectarians when in reality they represented a diversity of Lebanese
citizens who belonged to various political and religious groups. Moreover, stating that these groups turned out at
a “tumultuous rally” suggests to the reader that chaos and violence occurred during this peaceful and civilized
rally, which ended without a single incident. Furthermore, referring to Dr. Samir Geagea, the head of the
Executive Committee of the Lebanese Forces Party, as a “warlord” that led a “Christian militia” is disrespectful and
misleading for it places the head of a democratically elected parliamentary bloc among warlords that may be
found in stateless societies similar to Somalia, Uganda, and the Amazon rain forests.
In addition, the AP article mentions that Dr. Samir Geagea was “released from prison,” without mentioning that he
was a prisoner of conscience. In reality he was exonerated and freed from illegal imprisonment after Lebanon was
liberated from the Syrian occupation in April 2005 due to the peaceful revolt of the Cedar Revolution. This
revolution was triggered by the barbaric assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. It was
backed by pressure exerted on Syria by the United Nations which called upon President Bashar Assad to
implement the UNSCR 1559, which clearly demands the Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon. This false portrayal of
Dr. Geagea is misleading because it equates him with any released criminal while, in reality, he was a liberated
political prisoner.
Besides, Dr. Geagea is a member of the Lebanese Cedar Revolution gathering. Thus, to refer to him as a
“warlord” who is a member of the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority” shrouds this national movement with a
negative and offensive classification.
Furthermore, the mentioned gathering is neither “pro” nor “anti” Syria or any other state or entity; they are simply
parliamentary representatives of the Lebanese people. The same applies for PM Fouad Saniora’s cabinet which
is neither pro-western nor anti-Arab states, but simply a Lebanese one.
The most preposterous part of the AP article was not the fallacies it mentioned but the essential facts which it
ignored. While it constantly labeled Dr Geagea as a “warlord” and repeatedly stated the crimes of which he was
accused, it failed to mention once that the old foes of the Lebanese Forces (Muslims, Druze, and Leftists) were
present at the commemoration of its martyrs. It ignored the fact that those enemies of the 1970s war are now
allies fighting for a free, independent, and sovereign Lebanon. Most importantly, the AP failed to acknowledge the
astounding statement by the Christian Maronite Church that “time has proved that the cause of the LF is true and
just,” thus giving its blessing to the gathering and its leadership’s stance on national issues.
As an avid reader of the AP, it is disappointing to learn that it is one of the indolent media outlets which are still
using deceptive terms and outdated labeling from the Cold War era. The content of the above mentioned article is
neither informative nor useful. It is simply a useless and despicable reminder of a past epoch with an outdated
language. We urge the AP and other media outlets to use their newspapers’ spaces for credible and newsworthy
articles instead of wasting the time and effort of intellectual readers and involuntarily promoting the propaganda of
those who are stifling the causes of freedom.
Pierre A. Maroun
Secretary General
American Lebanese Coordination Council
727-641-9764
Published on: Lebanonwire Global Advocacy
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