Lebanese Ministry of Information
Minister of Information, Dr. Manal Abdel Samad Najd, on Friday said in a radio show aired live on “Radio Lebanon” that the media was the “unknown soldier” who toiled in the most difficult of circumstances, not only in the times of Corona.
The Minister went on to stress the paramount importance of preserving the rights of journalists by allowing them to practice their profession freely — taking into consideration that they steer clear from causing harm to national security or slandering dignities — and by providing them with work incentives and facilities that help advance the work of the media in Lebanon.
Regarding Tele Liban appointments, the minister explained that the choice of the “three names” was within the prerogatives of the Minister of Information.
“I have adopted transparency and objectivity, taking into account the sectarian balance enshrined in the constitution – Article 95. The Ministry’s current approach is collecting resumes and conducting interviews to shortlist the suitable names, as per the general pre-determined criteria for employment in the public sector,” the Minister explained.
Asked about the strategic plan of the Ministry of Information, Abdel Samad stressed that public information should not be subjected to any political guardianship, but should rather be free within certain regulations — all in the service of the citizen.
She explained that the aforementioned proposal included a unified platform for public information that brought together all public media outlets, including state television, radio, agency, research, and directorate of studies. She also highlighted the need for one union to protect all the media corps in Lebanon.
“We are in the process of considering the draft law previously submitted on amending the conditions for affiliation to the union to include all media professionals with no exception,” she said.
Touching on the novel Coronavirus pandemic, the minister regretted that Lebanon was back in the outbreak stage after having reached the containment one.
“The situation is more difficult, especially in case of failure to specify the source,” Abdel Samad added, hoping that Lebanon will make it safely to the fourth phase of the lockdown easing procedure.
