Local visual media are playing their role in covering today's war in Lebanon. A kind of “forced conscription” imposed by this situati
Local visual media are playing their role in covering today’s war in Lebanon.
A kind of “forced conscription” imposed by this situation on television stations, their employees, and their correspondents, most of whom spend about 20 hours of their day performing their duties. Some of them communicate day and night with direct and objective reporting, while others put their blood on the palm of their hand as they move between areas and roads that are being bombed. As for editors-in-chief and daily talk show presenters, when they have a few hours of rest, or a day off, they feel like fish out of water. In view of their positions and media responsibilities, you see that they prefer to remain in the heart of the war and in their work centers. To quench their thirst and appetite to carry out their tasks.
The entire media landscape differed from its predecessors. It is fraught with risks and full of shocks and surprises from political and field events, and therefore, it automatically injects workers with something similar to the hormone “adrenaline.” How did these stations coincide with the most prominent event today in the Middle East?
Dr. Suhair Hashem (Instagram)
We were not surprised by the war
Walid Abboud, chief news editor at the local MTV television, describes to Asharq Al-Awsat the state of the Lebanese media today as “exceptional.” He adds: “It is also because we are in Lebanon and we do not have news stations. Therefore, it is not at all prepared to engage in live broadcasting that takes between 18 and 20 hours a day. However, our accumulated experience in the media field contributed to our adaptation to the event. What we witnessed in the popular October 17 movement, and in the Beirut port explosion, falls under the same “media alert” that we are experiencing today.
This “anchor” – as Abboud calls it – “provided the news team with experience, so it became more comfortable with media accompaniment of the war, and became familiar with the tools necessary for this type of stage.” He continued: “We were not surprised by the outbreak of war after 11 months of skirmishes and fighting in southern Lebanon, as part of what was known as the support war. We expected its expansion, as did other political analysts. Whoever follows the Israeli media must understand this matter.”
George Salibi (Instagram)
The scene is surreal
“The scene of the war taking place in Lebanon today is completely different from its predecessors.” With these words, journalist George Salibi, presenter of political programs and news bulletins on the Al-Jadeed station, began his speech to Asharq Al-Awsat. He then added: “What we are witnessing today is similar to what happens in scientific films. When we saw it in movie theaters, we used to say that it was a kind of fantasy and could not come true. The truth is that the scene is so surreal that we do not quickly comprehend what is happening on the ground… successive explosions, assassinations and mass destruction… rapid events beyond imagination, all of which put us in a state of shock for a moment. From there, we embarked on an exhausting and difficult media journey.”
Walid Abboud (Instagram)
Stations and pressures of task organization
Indeed, since the expansion of the current war, the Lebanese have been following the latest news on television stations… so they are glued to the compact screen, flipping between channels to obtain everything modern.
It is true that the majority of Lebanese prefer one station over another, but this conviction among them changes in the circumstances of war. This generated competition between those stations. In order to achieve the largest following, it began hosting political analysts, party leaders, media professionals, and others. To come up with ideas about their opinions about this war and the outcome they expect from it. At the same time, the stations have deployed all their capabilities with reporters who follow developments around the clock, informing the viewer of the latest news. From enemy warplanes breaching the sound barrier, to explosions and assassinations, moment by moment. On the other hand, spectators hold the “remote control” as if it were their only weapon in this competitive battle, and they stop at breaking news or a picture and video clip that one television station passes before another.
Many people wondered: How were these stations able to secure this amount of correspondents across all Lebanese territories overnight?
Walid Abboud says: “These reporters have always appeared on the screen in normal times.” But the viewer usually does not pay much attention to them. But during wartime, this equation changed, and the repetition of their appearances put them more in the spotlight.
But, what is the general principle that stations hold their reporters to? Here, Abboud explains in the context of his speech that “the safety of the reporter and photographer remains the basic principle in this equation. We advise them to prioritize their safety over anything else, and they have all undergone training, directives and instructions in this regard… and they must adhere to them.”
For his part, Salibi points out that reporters are making the greatest effort in this war. He explains: “Their work is exhausting, tiring and risky. “So we fear greatly for their safety.”
Mohamed Farhat (Instagram)
“It is a stage of challenges.”
Speaking of reporters, Edmond Sassine, a correspondent for LBCI, is considered one of the oldest and most notable on this station. He does not hesitate to move between southern and northern Lebanon within one day. He describes his mission during the current stage as “the most dangerous.” He then explains: “There are no longer red lines or specific combat points in this war. So our mission is generally challenging. It is fraught with great danger, especially since the Israeli enemy does not differentiate between a road, a building, a party center, etc., and from one moment to the next it can choose its targets and surprise everyone… This is what has put the press teams in constant danger, and we must therefore secure information from the heart of the event accurately.” .
According to Sassine, the most arduous information is that related to the ground incursion of the Israeli army, “then the reporter cannot know what is happening properly and correctly on the ground… Therefore, we sometimes rely on Lebanese sources on the part of (Hezbollah) and (UNIFIL) (the international forces). operating in southern Lebanon), the Lebanese Army and Civil Defense, or people who lived the moment. However, conveying accurate news remains a very difficult task. What I am saying includes news of ambushes and captivity, while we, on the other hand, lack the ability to know this news, and therefore we are careful in transmitting it.”
“Lebanon deserves sacrifice”
Meanwhile, Al-Jadeed TV correspondent Mohamed Farhat speaks “firmly” when asked about his perilous mission today.
Muhammad was among the media team that was subjected to a direct bombardment in his residence center in the town of Hasbaya. On that day, he lost colleagues and touched death closely, had it not been for divine providence, he says. He continues: “I became in denial about the risks I was taking. At that moment, I lived a nightmare that I could not comprehend at first. When I opened my eyes, I asked myself for a moment: Where am I?’ Farhat adds: “My media experience as a whole in this war was very useful to me on both the personal and professional levels. It is difficult to heal from the wounds of this war, but I never surrendered or thought about leaving the arena. Lebanon deserves our sacrifice.”
Group psychotherapy is a necessity
Finally, in this war there are no vacations or days off and rest. All media professionals are in a state of alert in their work centers. But what after the war ends? Will they bear wounds that cannot be healed?
Psychologist Dr. Suhair Hashem responds by saying: “Media professionals are under a lot of pressure, and reporters are at the forefront of them. Today, they may not be able to detect its negative impact on their psychological health, but when the war ends, it may be fatal. This requires continuous support and assistance from the owners of the stations in which they work.” Dr. Hashem added: “There is a need to subject them to psychological treatment sessions, and it is best for them to be group; Because seasonal treatment is not enough in similar cases, during which they can support and understand each other better.”
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