Lebanese Ministry of Information
Caretaker Minister of Information, Manal Abdel Samad, held Wednesday a virtual meeting with students from various Lebanese universities via Zoom app, titled “Journalism, Vision 2021,” upon the invitation of the Saint Joseph University’s students’ newspaper.
“Lebanon is not doing well; it currently ranks first in terms of corruption, coronavirus, and public debt,” Abdel Samad told the meeting.
“The last report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has revealed that Lebanon ranks 102 in world press freedom for 2020,” she reminded, calling for swift reforms in that respect.
Moreover, Abdel Samad indicated that journalists were not exposed to violence in conflict scenes only.
Also, she highlighted the importance of the right of access to information. “Citizens should know how the state is spending their money.”
In addition, Abdel Samad considered that the current form of public media needed change.
“The current form of the Ministry of Information is not functional anymore; we seek public media independently from the minister,” she explained.
She also heaped praise on the performance of her ministry during the coronavirus pandemic.
NNA
