| September
25, 2006
 When
the 1975 Lebanese war started most, if not all, foreign
correspondents and international news agencies were located
in the business and tourism districts of Beirut. These
districts fell under the control of the leftist and Palestinian
militias. These mostly Syrian backed outlaws harassed,
intimidated, and slaughtered local and foreign journalists
who did report against them. The main objective was to
distort the truth in order to rally Arab and Western support
to their “cause,” and to discredit the loyal
Lebanese resistance which was battling terrorism. Their
integrity in reporting was hampered by the climate of
lawlessness and lack of freedoms imposed by the rebellious
armed militias. It was not uncommon to see commentaries
made by members of the Western media resonating those
made by the communist, socialist, pro Palestinian and
pro Syrian media. This came at a time when East battled
West during the so-called Cold War. Consequently, a host
of misleading terms and coerced “studies”
were filed in the archives of media outlets. Surprisingly,
these false “studies” and twisted terms are
being used today by many indolent media personnel when
dealing with the Lebanese issue.
For
example, on September 24, 2006, in its article titled
Thousands of Christians rally in Lebanon, which was meant
to cover the memorial mass of the Lebanese Forces martyrs
in Lebanon, the Associated Press (AP) labeled the thousands
of participants as “right-wing Christians”
who “turned out at a tumultuous rally” which
was led by a “notorious anti-Syrian former warlord.”
By referring to the participants as “right wing
Christians” the AP has portrayed the attendees as
radicals and sectarians when in reality they represented
a diversity of Lebanese citizens who belonged to various
political and religious groups. Moreover, stating that
these groups turned out at a “tumultuous rally”
suggests to the reader that chaos and violence occurred
during this peaceful and civilized rally, which ended
without a single incident. Furthermore, referring to Dr.
Samir Geagea, the head of the Executive Committee of the
Lebanese Forces Party, as a “warlord” that
led a “Christian militia” is disrespectful
and misleading for it places the head of a democratically
elected parliamentary bloc among warlords that may be
found in stateless societies similar to Somalia, Uganda,
and the Amazon rain forests.
In addition, the AP article mentions that Dr. Samir Geagea
was “released from prison,” without mentioning
that he was a prisoner of conscience. In reality he was
exonerated and freed from illegal imprisonment after Lebanon
was liberated from the Syrian occupation in April 2005
due to the peaceful revolt of the Cedar Revolution. This
revolution was triggered by the barbaric assassination
of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. It was
backed by pressure exerted on Syria by the United Nations
which called upon President Bashar Assad to implement
the UNSCR 1559, which clearly demands the Syrian withdrawal
from Lebanon. This false portrayal of Dr. Geagea is misleading
because it equates him with any released criminal while,
in reality, he was a liberated political prisoner.
Besides,
Dr. Geagea is a member of the Lebanese Cedar Revolution
gathering. Thus, to refer to him as a “warlord”
who is a member of the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority”
shrouds this national movement with a negative and offensive
classification.
Furthermore,
the mentioned gathering is neither “pro” nor
“anti” Syria or any other state or entity;
they are simply parliamentary representatives of the Lebanese
people. The same applies for PM Fouad Saniora’s
cabinet which is neither pro-western nor anti-Arab states,
but simply a Lebanese one.
The
most preposterous part of the AP article was not the fallacies
it mentioned but the essential facts which it ignored.
While it constantly labeled Dr Geagea as a “warlord”
and repeatedly stated the crimes of which he was accused,
it failed to mention once that the old foes of the Lebanese
Forces (Muslims, Druze, and Leftists) were present at
the commemoration of its martyrs. It ignored the fact
that those enemies of the 1970s war are now allies fighting
for a free, independent, and sovereign Lebanon. Most importantly,
the AP failed to acknowledge the astounding statement
by the Christian Maronite Church that “time has
proved that the cause of the LF is true and just,”
thusgiving its blessing to the gathering and its leadership’s
stance on national issues.
As
an avid reader of the AP, it is disappointing to learn
that it is one of the indolent media outlets which are
still using deceptive terms and outdated labeling from
the Cold War era. The content of the above mentioned article
is neither informative nor useful. It is simply a useless
and despicable reminder of a past epoch with an outdated
language. We urge the AP and other media outlets to use
their newspapers’ spaces for credible and newsworthy
articles instead of wasting the time and effort of intellectual
readers and involuntarily promoting the propaganda of
those who are stifling the causes of freedom.
Pierre
A. Maroun
Secretary General
American Lebanese Coordination Council
727-641-9764
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