The body of journalist Issam Abdallah in Khiam, South Lebanon. The Reuters photojournalist was killed on Oct.13, 2023, in Alma el-Chaab by an Israeli strike. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/OLJ)
The Lebanese Maharat Foundation, which receives funding from various NGOs and international government agencies, announced the release of two new reports on Friday, on the eve of the ‘International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.’ The reports, available online in Arabic and French, aim to "shed light on the media landscape and the challenges faced by Lebanese journalists in the context of the war," according to a statement.
Since Oct. 8, 2023, Hezbollah and the Israeli army have been engaged in a limited conflict that escalated into a full-scale war last summer. During this period, at least twelve journalists have been killed in Lebanon, with many others injured, as well as Israeli bombings targeting media buildings, vehicles, and equipment.
‘Forced to Continue Their Work’
The first report, titled A War Without Red Lines: Threats and Risks for Journalists in Lebanon, highlights the daily lives of some journalists who "work from their cars" and others who have been displaced and "live in overcrowded spaces with many family members," all while facing serious threats to their physical safety.
The report also addresses the issue of threats and harassment journalists face in their workplaces. Early this month, two journalists from the Belgian VTM television channel were assaulted and injured by people who attacked them while they were covering an airstrike in downtown Beirut.
"Journalists told us that the war forces them to continue their work, regardless of their personal situations. We were struck by the number of journalists who reported that their mental state was poor. So far, we’ve been able to support 21 journalists in covering the costs of displacement, either for alternative housing or work equipment," said Roula Mikhael, Maharat’s founder and executive director. Quoted in the first report, caretaker Information Minister Ziad Makari noted that the government had facilitated imports of protective equipment for journalists, with "two shipments expected in the coming days."
The second report, titled The Challenges of Covering the Israel-Lebanon War, focuses more on "the dynamics of the media war occurring in Lebanon surrounding the Israeli military offensive against Hezbollah," as Maharat explains. "Each party in the conflict uses the media as a tool of psychological warfare, a phenomenon observed in conflicts worldwide, where each side seeks to control propaganda and impose its narrative to influence public opinion," the report's authors state.
Since the beginning of the war, 2,867 people have been killed and 13,047 others injured, according to the latest official figures from the Lebanese Ministry of Health.