BEIRUT: Information Minister Tarek Mitri said Wednesday some media outlets were only partially complying with current media laws, and called for adhering to present laws and committing to well-known professional ethics until new media legislation – currently in the works – was drafted.
“Current laws are only partially respected by some audio-visual and published media outlets,” he said.
Mitri said violations were plenty, some “simple” like “[not] committing to publishing or broadcasting the complete response on news or comments in the same place and page.”
“[Other] issues are serious, like [publishing or airing] every writing or speech aimed at or resulting in instigating sectarian and racist tensions or encouraging conflict between sects [or between] the various segments of the nations,” he told a news conference held at the Information Ministry.
While acknowledging that some of the media laws were inapplicable due to protections and excessive “politicization of problems that the Lebanese face,” Mitri said this was not a justification to “ignore the requirements of those laws.”
The minister said the news conference came in line with his call on September 30 for wide discussions with concerned people and especially people working in the media over a modern and comprehensive media law currently in development.
“[Today’s discussion] is related to what is called publication crimes and their equivalents in audio-visual media outlets which require revising, and this starts from reconsidering the use of the ‘publication crimes’ expression,” said Mitri.
He highlighted the need for a “more accurate” definition of prohibited acts in different legal texts “like slander, libel, defamation and instigating sectarian strife.”
“I said [on September 30] that we have the choice of replacing this legislation [which requires revising] with a voluntary commitment to a charter of professional ethics laid down by people working in the media themselves and that will be mentioned in general in the legal text,” said Mitri.
He said the reason for raising the issue was that many politicians blamed the media for stirring sectarian tensions, “while some forget or pretend to forget that they go too far in using media outlets to attack and accuse their rivals, and they then slam those outlets if they target them or their supporters.”
“And they forget that promoting political rhetoric to the level of rational conversations … and respecting debate ethics was first and foremost the responsibility of politicians,” said Mitri.
“And they forget that promoting political rhetoric to the level of rational conversations … and respecting debate ethics was first and foremost the responsibility of politicians,” said Mitri.
However, Mitri said that the responsibility of politicians should not justify violating professional standards and morals.
“For all this, and until a new media draft law and a charter for professional behavior agreed upon by people working in the media is laid down, a frank and clear call shall be made for adherence to current laws and commitment to well-known professional ethics,” he said.
Mitri was adamant that the freedom of media “is not under question and will never be and no one intends to task himself with watching the media.”
“But the protection of freedom is boosted by the strength of credibility, and credibility is based on adhering to professional ethics,” said Mitri.
Mitri said he did not ask the Cabinet during its latest session Monday to take any decision against prime time Lebanese talk show “Kalam An-Nas.”
“I did not ask the Cabinet to take any decision that was rejected or dropped from discussions,” said Mitri.
“What I did was inform the Cabinet about the content of the report forwarded by the National Media Council [over the matter], and I am aware that some of the measures that can be taken do not require Cabinet approval,” he added.
The talk show’s episode of October 14 which was aired by the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) sparked a wave of criticism accusing it of instigating sectarian feelings.
Mitri said he discussed Tuesday with LBC’s chairman Pierre Daher the content of the National Media Council’s report, adding that he had the impression that Daher would take the initiative of promoting a new rhetoric in media replacing that of “violence, threats, stirring emotions and fright.”
Mitri said he was considering advice from ministers to apply all media laws to all media outlets to avoid selectivity and to warn those outlets against going too far in various violations.
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