Dear readers,
As we do every year, we want to update you on our newspaper's evolution, including our potential challenges, ambitions and decisions. In 2022, we experienced significant ups and downs, much like the Lebanese people who continue to fight and recover despite adversity. Our newspaper is undergoing a profound transformation that began several years ago, and we remain committed to seeing it through.
The weight of the diaspora
The economic crisis that started in 2019 affected us, along with all of Lebanon’s residents and media outlets, prompting us to rely more on our diaspora readership. While, prior to 2019, we generated most of our income from Lebanon, we now derive over 70 percent of our digital revenue from the loyalty and support of Lebanese readers worldwide. This is because the Lebanese diaspora maintains a deep connection to their country and closely follows its news. Our digital audience segmentation in 2022 reflects this trend, with readers based in Lebanon constituting around one-third of L'Orient-Le Jour's total page views, while the remaining two-thirds are mostly Lebanese readers based abroad. L'Orient Today's figures are similar, with a near-equal split between readers in Lebanon and those overseas. We are actively working to expand our reach among the diaspora while remaining mindful of our Lebanese readers, whether they access our content online or in print, who have always been loyal to us.
Digital transformation
The key to these changes lies in web and digital development, which allows us to reach our readership everywhere and in real time. This is why we have developed digital formats, with a new video section regularly explaining key issues (in five minutes), as well as a series of video interviews with leading personalities, filmed by us and broadcast on our site. We set up a mini-site dedicated to the May 2022 legislative elections, in French and English, which offered detailed results and infographics, but also candidate portraits, analyses and reports on each region of Lebanon in the context of these polls. In order to stay in touch with our readers, we recently completed a large survey via our website that allowed us to collect our readers’ expectations, both in Lebanon and in the diaspora, in order to better respond to them in the coming phase. We also recently set up a Whatsapp group to keep our readers continuously informed of the most salient news.
More fundamentally, the digital dimension now requires all media to work and think in real time: it is necessary not only to disseminate raw information, but also the analysis and decoding of this information. And it is essential to do this as quickly as possible, while also verifying sources and avoiding any inaccuracy. This acceleration, this compression of time, is leading us to rethink our organization in depth, in order to continue to offer our readers quality content. In 2022, we created a digital development department, whose task is to lead this change in close coordination with the editorial team. This transformation is also reflected in our revenues, which now come mainly from digital subscriptions (the rise in the paper's revenues in 2022 reflects a slight improvement in its profitability, which remains well below its pre-crisis level).
Revenue breakdown
Editorial development
To navigate the rapidly changing media landscape, we must maintain three key objectives: first, to continue our coverage of Lebanese news with an insightful perspective beyond the daily routine. In the midst of the country's ongoing chaos, it is essential that we provide readers with the tools to understand political, economic and social events in Lebanon. It is our responsibility to do this objectively, without ideological bias, and with a voice that is deeply connected to our homeland, Lebanon.
Secondly, we aim to broaden our coverage of regional news. For instance, we recently sent a team of journalists to Turkey to cover the earthquake, reporting from Antioch, a location with deep historical significance that was badly impacted by the Feb. 6, 2023 disaster. We will continue to expand our coverage of the Near and Middle East region and the Gulf: there is a world around us, familiar to us and hosting many Lebanese emigrants, whose story we must tell.
Lastly, despite the difficulties that Lebanon faces, we also want to communicate optimism and positivity to our readers. Through our pages, including the cultural and lifestyle sections, we want to highlight Lebanon's extraordinary dynamism as it tries to move forward against all odds.
The continuous development of L'Orient Today
L’Orient Today has developed significantly in the last two years, building a reputation for reliability and seriousness among its readers as one of the only English-language news sources in Lebanon. Our “Morning Brief” newsletter, launched in tandem with the publication, offers a daily summary of news and has experienced strong growth, with a continuously increasing number of subscribers. L’Orient Today will continue to develop in synergy with L’Orient-Le Jour, maintaining our shared editorial charter alongside its own identity, while also multiplying the publication of translated articles in both directions.
Faith, always, in the future
Today more than ever, we place our hope in the future. Despite the unprecedented crisis that Lebanon continues to contend with, the Lebanese people are demonstrating their desire to survive against all odds. Despite the collapse of state structures, society is working harder than ever to recover losses, repatriate funds, rebuild what was destroyed and fight against inequality and social injustice. The road ahead is tough, but it is worth it. L’Orient-Le Jour, which survived through the 1975-90 Civil War and will celebrate a century of existence next year, believes in its mission. This faith is also shared by others. L’Académie française awarded us the Prix de la Francophonie in 2022, not only as a sign of recognition for our newspaper but also as encouragement for Lebanon.
Our shareholders share this faith in the country, showing us their full support, as well as our readers in Lebanon and the diaspora. We look forward to the future with confidence, and we will continue to develop and provide you with quality information. So, thank you, dear readers, for the attention and loyalty you show us every day.
The management committee of L'Orient-Le Jour / L'Orient Today Group:
Nayla de Freige, CEO
Fouad Khoury Helou, Executive Director
Elie Fayad, Editor-in-Chief
Anthony Samrani, Editor-in-Chief
Emilie Sueur, digital development director
Nicole Karkour, marketing director
The economic crisis that started in 2019 affected us, along with all of Lebanon’s residents and media outlets, prompting us to rely more on our diaspora readership. While, prior to 2019, we generated most of our income from Lebanon, we now derive over 70 percent of our digital revenue from the loyalty and support of Lebanese readers worldwide. This is because the Lebanese diaspora maintains a deep...
