LEBANON: Lebanese TV channels unify news bulletin to show support for and unity with Gaza.

Record ID: 414067

  • Title: LEBANON: Lebanese TV channels unify news bulletin to show support for and unity with Gaza.
  • Date: 22nd July 2014
  • Summary: ADMA, LEBANON (JULY 21, 2014) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) LARA ZALLOUM, HEAD OF OPERATIONS IN NEWS DEPARTMENT IN LBCI, SAYING: "The success of 'Palestine you are not alone' initiative should be a foundation stone for the various Lebanese media, because surely the Lebanese have common problems and common points that they can defend united, this is why what happened is a foundation stone on which it is important to build, to implement similar initiatives for Lebanon and the Lebanese." PEOPLE WORKING IN NEWS CONTROL ROOM VARIOUS OF SCREENS SHOWING THE SAME REPORT ON VARIOUS LEBANESE TV CHANNELS IN NEWS CONTROL ROOM MORE OF THE NEWS CONTROL ROOM
  • Embargoed: 6th August 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Lebanon
  • Country: Lebanon
  • Topics: Communications,Conflict,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAD6OQUGB8PGM8NDMN2VAR333DU
  • Story Text: For the first time in Lebanon, diverse Lebanese local TV channels united in broadcasting a unified news bulletin, to show solidarity with Gaza.
    At 20:10 Beirut local time (17:10gmt) on Monday evening (July 21), Lebanese audiences watched the same reports about the crisis in Gaza in one news bulletin lasting about half an hour.
    The unified news bulletin opened with an introduction from the eight local Lebanese TV channels: Tele Liban, Future TV, OTV, MTV, LBCI, Al-Jadeed, Al-Manar and NBN with a segment called 'Palestine, you are not alone'.
    "The idea is an initiative from Mr. Talal Selman, publisher of As-Safir newspaper. He suggested we try as media, especially the visual (media), to do an initiative for Gaza people, and through them for all Palestinians, to say that we are seeing you, we are seeing your pain, it is true that we can't do more than this but at least we can unite all together to tell you you are not alone, we are seeing you and feeling your pain," Head of Operations in News LBCI, Lara Zalloum, told Reuters.
    Zalloum said the suggestion was welcomed by the different channels and work started immediately on the project.
    "The success of 'Palestine you are not alone' initiative should be a foundation stone for the various Lebanese media, because surely the Lebanese have common problems and common points that they can defend united, this is why what happened is a foundation stone on which it is important to build, to implement similar initiatives for Lebanon and the Lebanese."
    After the common introduction, the bulletin showed eight reports, each from one TV channel studio, highlighting mainly a humanitarian side of the conflict.
    Future TV opened with a report showing the hard living conditions of displaced families within Gaza; OTV reported on the mothers of the Palestinians who have died in the violence; MTV focused on the children of Gaza and LBCI's report was from within the Lebanese southern town of Marwahine who faced Israel's war of July 2006 in Lebanon.
    Al-Jadeed reported on foreigners who went to the Palestinian territories to fight for the Palestinian cause, Al-Manar showed the evolution of the Palestinians' weapons, starting with stones, followed by Tele Liban reporting on the strength of Palestinian children and ending with NBN focussing on the voice of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon longing for their homeland.
    LBCI news anchor, Dima Sadek, who took part in the unified news bulletin, told Reuters the broadcast was a symbolic stance.
    "Maybe the strong or strongest message that we are trying to deliver is that we, in Lebanon, which is a country with deep divisions, passed beyond our very big divisions to say that this cause unites us, even if we... you know, each Lebanese channel represents a political view, even if this channel represent a political view with this axis or that axis, and how it reflects in Lebanon, all these... we can surpass our disagreements and agree on the cause of Palestine and Gaza specifically," Sadek added.
    LBCI took control of the broadcast, with Rouba Al-Kousaifi directing the unified news bulletin.
    "The role of media is very important because it can grow a very small cause to a very big one for the whole world. So it is very important, as Lebanese media, to unite all together in one cause, to reach, you never know, maybe this message we are delivering today arrives, we don't know because we are united, eight Lebanese channels broadcasting for one cause, you can consider the message will reach (an audience) multiplied by eight, it is not only one television (channel) broadcasting it, but eight television (channels)," Al-Kousaifi told Reuters.
    The news bulletin ended with a montage of images set to a poem by late Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish.
    Israel continued to pound targets across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday (July 22), saying no ceasefire was near as top U.S. and U.N. diplomats pursued talks on halting fighting.
    With the conflict in Gaza entering its third week, the Palestinian death toll rose to 603 , including nearly 100 children and many other civilians, Gaza health officials said. The Israeli military said it had killed 183 militants.
    Israel's casualties also mounted, with the number of army fatalities rising to 27 - almost three times as many as were killed in the last ground invasion of Gaza, in a 2008-2009 war. Two Israeli civilians have also been killed by Palestinian rocket fire into Israel.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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