Daily Star - Media Council Discusses 'threat' Of 'immorality' In Lebanese Tv Programs - January 12, 2010

BEIRUT: The National Media Council held a large-scale meeting on Monday to discuss creating a guidebook for audiovisual media outlets in Lebanon that would define pornography and other offenses to public morals.
“An existing express law forbids any institution from broadcasting certain programs before 10:30 pm in order to protect children,” the council’s head, Abdel-Hadi Mahfouz told reporters.
The council meeting on Monday aimed to discuss the “immorality” in Lebanese television programs such as OTV’s comedy show LOL.
Mahfouz said the first meeting was to discuss immorality in shows such as LOL and similar programs. He added that the council was basing its views on the media law number 382/49 that forbids the use of pornography and outlaws any offense against public morals.
Mahfouz then explained that Information Minister Tarek Mitri had received many letters of complaints concerning the show LOL and therefore had asked the council to “take the appropriate stance toward the matter.”
The show LOL, which airs on the television station OTV every Sunday evening, consists of gathering a number of people to exchange jokes and anecdotes. However, the jokes told on the show were said by some to abuse morals and to include sexual content inappropriate for children.
Mahfouz said that OTV did not have any bad intentions by broadcasting the show and that the head of its board, Roy Hashem, was very cooperative and understanding about trying to resolve the problem. “Hashem told us that the idea behind the show was to unite the Lebanese from different backgrounds around humor in order to end the political and sectarian divide in the country,” Mahfouz added.
He also said that OTV was willing to cooperate with the council and “take the show back to its initial objectives.”
He added that it wasn’t acceptable to portray a negative image of Lebanon especially because the country has acquired a name for being a sort of “Casino” and that Lebanese women have gained a bad reputation. “Our female singers have turned into dancers instead of focusing on their vocal abilities,” he said.
Mahfouz was asked during the gathering why the council has specifically targeted the show LOL. “We referred to all programs that we deemed immoral but we considered LOL as an example after numerous complaints were filed against it,” he answered.
Mahfouz stressed the need for the Interior Ministry to put its audiovisual media monitoring equipment at the disposal of the council and asked to revive the Information Ministry’s committee for following media outlets.
He added that there was a pressing need to control internet sites and provide legislation for internet media because this outlet would become a source of major competition for other audiovisual institutions.
Nonetheless Mahfouz reiterated the need for Lebanon to step away from provocative political sectarian programs and try to “draw a smile” on the faces of the Lebanese, similar to what LOL tried to do. “The important thing OTV did was build … the job of the media is to build not demolish,” he said.
The council’s head warned against replacing sectarian and political aggressiveness with immorality and called on the Lebanese community to unite in facing this new threat. “The audiovisual media is free and we are determined to preserve its freedom providing it is within the limits of the Constitution and of laws,” he added.
Mahfouz then referred to the United States’ decision to ban the broadcasting of certain Lebanese televisions stations and said Lebanese media institutions have signed a petition condemning this act and will be later present it to the secretary general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa. – The Daily Star