BEIRUT: Lebanon's TV stations have a responsibility to avoid becoming a podium for terrorist groups, Lebanon's information minister said Thursday, stressing the need for the media to prioritize public interests in its coverage.
“We have agreed to avoid broadcasting harmful images, and speeches that incite sectarian tensions,” Information Minister Ramzi Joreige said after a meeting with representatives of Lebanon’s audiovisual media outlets. Media must “avoid giving takfiri terrorists the chance to use TV channels as a space to publicize their speeches.”
In its last session, the Cabinet called on media outlets to stand alongside the Army and government and avoid publishing any unverified information about the soldiers and policemen kidnapped by ISIS and the Nusra Front.
“I think the media is aware of its responsibility in this critical situation,” Joreige said, stressing on the need to avoid “becoming podiums that serve the interest of the takfiri kidnappers.”
Joreige highlighted the crucial role played by the media in shaping public opinion, saying it shapes views by publishing headlines and interpretations, and could either play a positive or a negative role.
“It can either be a father, mentor and a friend, or a traitor that distorts the meanings of words,” he said addressing journalists. “This is why you have a great responsibility in the current circumstances to prioritize national interest and the safety of the kidnapped soldiers.”
The channels’ tendency to race, and the desire for exclusive scoops, should be considered secondary, according to Joreige, and their side effects should be taken into consideration.
The head of the National Audiovisual Media Council Abdel Hadi Mahfoud also attended the meetings, which gathered the head of most Lebanese TV channels' news desks heads.
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