الاتحاد الكاثوليكي العالمي للصحافة- لبنان اوسيب – لبنان
Media Must Be Kept aloof from Political and Confessional Partisanship
In an urgent statement, the International Catholic Union of the Press – Lebanon (UCIP – Lebanon) condemned the attack on reporters and cameramen that took place during the demonstrations held today in Tripoli, Sidon, Beirut and the Bekaa. UCIP expressed its deep concern over the situation of the media which face big difficulties when covering events. The statement is as follows:
– The International Catholic Union of the Press – Lebanon (UCIP – Lebanon) condemns the attack on local and foreign media that took place during the demonstrations held today and impeded them from doing their work.
– The attack on media is a transgression of Lebanon sacred values namely liberty, freedom of opinion and the importance of media that must be at the service of public interest and must enlighten the society.
– Media are a basic constituent of Lebanon, the Message and when they are able to do a good job, they become a beneficial tool for the society and the citizen. Therefore, impeding their role undermines the message and affects Lebanon pioneering media image in the world. It could also lead to a partial uniform coverage of dangerous events similar to the ones that we are witnessing today and that are of interest to all Lebanese, irrespective of confession and political sympathy.
– UCIP calls upon all officials to allow reporters and cameramen to carry out their functions which are essential to preserve the important role of media as a public service. This, in turn, will enable us to meet national challenges in accordance with Lebanon multiculturalism and media pioneering message at the service of truth and other democratic values.
