Lebanese Ministry of Information
Minister of Information, Dr. Manal Abdel Samad Najd, affirmed during an interview with LBC TV Channel this morning, that efforts are currently pinned on making amendments to the media regulation project law.
“We are in the context of developing amendments that are in line with this advancement, but pursuant to the principle of transparency, because we consider that any rule requires partnership and we cannot adopt any decision individually, especially if the issue is related to the media and media outlets, and to people who will use this law and join under its framework; hence, it is necessary that they have an opinion on this topic,” Abdel Samad asserted.
“We consider that, on one hand we have a strategic plan for public media that we propose to the cabinet and later to the parliamentary committees, and this plan should be an integral part of the media law that should include the media in general; and at the same time, we have the opinions of the people who will use this law. Therefore, it is necessary to take their opinion into account, namely the media outlets, electronic website owners, legal media professionals, specialists and experts in this field,” the Minister corroborated.
She referred to the continuity of governments’ work and efforts, whereby every minister in every mandate has a fingerprint in the media. “Any effort we make is not from scratch, but is an accumulation of previous efforts, and former Minister Melhem Riachi had a very significant role and many projects that were pioneering and distinct with regards to the public media, the Information Ministry and the Media Law…We have reached the stage of the Administration and Justice, whereby the law proposal is now with the Administration and Justice Committee, and of course the opinion of the former ministers of information have been taken in consideration, and views have been included in the law proposal, so as not to erase previous efforts but rather build on them,” Abdel Samad emphasized.
On the media plan and law, the Information Minister said: “From the very first day, we have supported the free media and the need to avoid domesticating or imposing any censorship on it, because we consider that the word of the journalist should be as free as his opinion, and this matter is enshrined in the constitution. This freedom should be responsible and respect the opinion of the other, without doing him any harm or to the state and its status, and there should be no false news or news that leads to incitement or intimidation or harm to national or social security.”
She added: “The data must be accurate and the information must be correct. With social media, the citizen no longer distinguishes between the media and the blogger, which sometimes does injustice to the media.”
“We are against the idea of imprisonment for any media person, but if they wish in this proposal of law to keep these provisions, said provisions must be placed within very narrow controls,” she underlined, stressing that an expressed word or opinion must not lead to jail.
“We must search within the framework of preserving and strengthening this sector, and maintaining a free opinion and free word, since for long we have been the platform for a liberal media, and we must preserve our distinction in this field, especially with the presence of many individuals and outlets expressing their opinion. This word, which should not lead to imprisonment, can no longer be suppressed,” the Minister maintained.
She also stressed that “there should be no political guardianship of the media, but rather the media must be free and addressing the public, conveying the needs of society without any restrictions by the state.”
Additionally, Abdel Samad highlighted “the necessity of having a unified platform for the integrated public media, that is, radio, television and news agency, and the country’s private websites and social media accounts, and rendering media outlets within one institution, provided that it has a communication role with the government, through the Minister of State for Communication with a zero budget.”
She noted herein that “the basis of his work [State Minister for Communication] shall be to communicate with the public and the government, as well as its official spokesperson, based on a rectification by the Prime Minister in accordance with Article 64 of the Constitution.”
Abdel Samad moved on to indicated that she “separates between her role as Information Minister when comes to the media, and her role when speaking in the name of the government and reading out its decisions, authorized by Prime Minister Hassan Diab according to the Constitution and Article 64.”
“Populism is not our goal in the cabinet, but rather to deliver a message outside the Council of Ministers, and if I have any objection or stance, I voice it within the institution to which I belong…When the decision is made, it becomes binding to the entire government, and therefore I cannot say that I do not want to abide by said decision. It is possible, of course, that I give my personal opinion or the opinion of my ministry on a specific issue, but I do not deviate from the decision that was taken either by consensus or unanimously,” Abdel Samad explained.
Over appointments in the National Media Council, the Minister deemed that changing the Council is a necessity, adding “We are about to fundamentally change the structure, and cooperation exists to speed up, endorse and issue the necessary laws.” As for appointments in Tele-Liban, Abdel Samad stated that she will not breach the sectarian balance in the TV Station, while pointing to the urgent need to appoint a board of directors. She hoped that after approving the amendments put forward at the level of the law and the restructuring of the Ministry, a new national council and a new management for the Lebanese Television Station will see the light.
