Mass media in Lebanon
Lebanon is not only a regional center of media production but also one of the most liberal and free in the Middle East.[1] Despite its small population and geographic size, Lebanon plays an influential role in the production of information in the Middle East and is "at the core of a regional media network with global implications".[2]
News agencies
Lebanon has two state-owned news agencies:
Press
The history of publishing in Lebanon dates back to 1610 when the first printing press was established at the Convent of Saint Anthony of
In the second half of the nineteenth century, Beirut had become not only a multi-religious, commercial center but also an intellectual one, especially after the establishment of two private, higher education institutes, the
After independence, Beirut emerged as the epicenter of publishing in the Arab world, characterized by free and liberal media and literary scenes.[9] In the 1940s, Beirut was home to 39 newspapers, as well as 137 periodicals and journals that were published in three languages.[9] Beirut also hosted the first book fair in the Arab world in 1956. By the early sixties, there were close to a hundred publishers and more than 250 printing presses in Lebanon.[9] Armenian publications also flourished in Beirut, with over 44 publications, including dailies and periodicals.[10] In 1962 the press law came into effect which was introduced by President Fuad Chebab.[11] As of September 2013, the law still regulates printed media in the country.[11]
Authors from Syria, Palestine and elsewhere in the Arab world found refuge in Lebanon's free and liberal publishing industry.[9] Lebanon's press became a huge industry despite the country's small size and has remained a haven for Arabic publishing.[8] The establishment of modern printing presses and sophisticated book distribution channels made Beirut a regional publishing leader, and gave the Lebanese publishers a dominant role in Arab publishing.[12] Lebanon hosts annually two important regional publishing events, the Beirut Book Fair and the Beirut Francophone Book Fair.[13]
Television
Television in Lebanon was introduced in 1959, with the launch of two privately owned stations, CLT and Télé Orient that merged in 1977 into Télé Liban.[14] Lebanon has ten national television channels, with most being affiliated or supported by certain political parties or alliances. Al Mayadeen, for example, is close to Hezbollah and was launched on 11 June 2012.[15]
Radio
The first radio service began in 1938 in Lebanon.[16] There are many private radio stations in the country.[17] Two of the leading stations are BBC Arabic and Radio France Internationale.[17] Additionally, local stations People's Voice and Lebanon Voice are also popular radio outlets.[18]
Internet
Lebanon was one of the first countries in the Arab world to introduce the internet, and Beirut's newspapers were the first in the region to provide readers with web versions of their newspapers. By 1996, three newspapers from Lebanon were online, Al Anwar, An-Nahar, and As-Safir, and by 2000, more than 200 websites provided news out of Lebanon like the leading Daily Beirut news portal.[2] Internet penetration from 2013 to 2016 has increased rapidly in Lebanon.[19] Use of social media platforms like Facebook has seen growth and has been highest in the Middle East, as 77% for Lebanon in 2017.[20] As per August 2017, there are around 3.4 million users on Facebook from Lebanon. The Instagram count is 1.3 million.[21]
See also
References
- ^ Migliorino, p. 122
- ^ ISBN 978-0-253-34252-2. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
- ^ a b "Media sustainability index 2008" (PDF). IREX. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 July 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ISBN 9780313285356.
- ^ Arabic and the Art of Printing: A Special Section. Saudi Aramco World. Retrieved on 11 December 2011.
- ^ The First Arabic Script Printing Press in Lebanon: Arabic Type Designer & Typographer: Arabic Type: Pascal Zoghbi. 29letters 5 January 2009. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
- ^ Lebanon A Country Study by Federal Research Division, p. 42
- ^ ISBN 978-1-85109-449-3. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
- ^ a b c d Migliorino, p. 123
- ^ Migliorino, p. 124
- ^ a b Dajani, Nabil (Summer 2013). "The Myth of Media Freedom in Lebanon" (PDF). Arab Media and Society (18). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- ^ Anker, Jean. Libri: Volume 51
- ^ "Francophone book fair showcases Lebanese and foreign authors". The Daily Star. 28 October 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
- ISBN 978-1-84885-120-7. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
- ^ Karam, Zeina (11 June 2012). "New pan-Arab satellite channel goes on air". AJC News. Associated Press. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
- hdl:2433/155745.
- ^ a b "Lebanon profile. Media". BBC. 29 January 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
- ^ Sami Atallah (June 2013). "Turning a research idea into a national movement" (PDF). National Endowment for Democracy. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 October 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ^ "Middle East Media Use Report 2016" (PDF). Qatar Northwestern University Publications.
- ^ "Social Media · Media Use in the Middle East, 2017". www.mideastmedia.org. Retrieved 2018-08-20.
- ^ Kowalczyk, Kasia (2017-08-12). "Facebook and Instagram user demographics in Lebanon – August 2017". NapoleonCat. Retrieved 2018-08-20.