"The Lebanese Press
and Media Crisis"
By: General Michel Aoun
(Translated by: Elias
Bejjani)
9 January 1998
In the last week's commentary, entitled "Freedom of the Press" some important
conditions that make the press vulnerable to criticism and reservations were outlined with
regard to its performance and credibility. At the same time, we affirmed our ongoing
strong stance for a free press without restriction, conditions or limits. After publishing
the commentary, we were surprised by the strange coincidental escalation of these
conditions--further evidence of falsification and exaggeration.
Faced with this odd situation, we
had to issue a press release putting an end to the ongoing wrongdoing. In fact, if our
names had not been mentioned in some of the bizarre press commentaries, we would not have
noticed that they targeted us and not somebody else.
We don't want media that claims
independence to be pro-opposition or anti-government, nor pro-regime or against the
opposition, for both stances would be wrong. We want the media to be a mirror reflecting
the truth through which an authentic, honest, and effective public opinion can be
formulated far away from non-reasoned, instinctive reactions that inflict self-destruction
in society by destroying the foundations of the national peace.
Controlled media that is
submissive to the ruling authorities imposes the "one way thinking" concept, and
destroys all that is opposing. It creates hatred and grudges among the people.
The Lebanese media have been, of late, muzzled in a horrifying manner, to the extent that
they are no longer moved to comment when the president of the republic alleges that the
Lebanese people are immature, or when the Prime Minister says boldly, "I am in my
position because of a regional will, and nobody can make me leave."
The Lebanese media have been
showing a readiness to cooperate with any intelligence power in control of the regime's
distorted decision-making process.
Ideally, immunity granted to the
media should enable it to deliver the truth. Immunity ought not to be used in any way to
turn the media into a means of combat or taking advantage of its free movement to make it
untouchable.
In general, the performance of
the Lebanese media has become as bad as that of the government, though we have wished it
would be better. We suggest, if media personnel are agreeable, that a radical professional
performance self re-evaluation be performed and a professional code of honor be produced
practice and practiced.
The Lebanese media shall remain a
means of intelligence promotional for a population of ghosts, lead by ghosts, as long as
it does not free itself from the sources it refers to as knowledgeable, close, reliable,
informed and influential
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