Lebanese Minister Receives Francophonie Report Urging Adoption of Modern Media Law

Minister of Information Paul Marqos welcomed the representative of the International Organization of La Francophonie in the Middle East, Louvan Amirjanian, at his office. Following the meeting, Minister Marqos stated that they discussed several topics of mutual interest, particularly concerning the media sector. He received from Mr. Amirjanian the report prepared by the Francophonie mission to Lebanon, which highlighted a key recommendation to approve the recently drafted modern media law currently under consideration in the Parliament.

Minister Marqos noted that he informed the representative of the ministry’s ongoing support for parliamentary efforts and its commitment to advancing the approval of this law, which is the primary recommendation in the report.

He further discussed the possibility of organizing training sessions, emphasizing that these should not be limited solely to media professionals, although that remains essential, especially regarding combating media misinformation. He proposed that these sessions also include social media influencers and leaders, focusing on promoting respectful discourse free from insults, harm, verbal and moral violence. The aim is for social media platforms to serve as tools for positive social interaction rather than arenas for insults, slander, humiliation, and undermining dignity, while preserving rights and freedoms.

Minister Marqos added that the Francophonie representative pledged to consult with his central administration to obtain the necessary approvals to fund these training sessions through the organization and to provide a specialized training team to share their expertise. He expressed gratitude for the representative’s visit.

On his part, the Francophonie representative explained that as part of the organization's efforts to combat information disorders, a project was implemented last year in cooperation with the Ministry of Information and UNESCO. This project aimed to raise public awareness about the dangers of misinformation and included organizing training courses for employees of the National News Agency (ANI) on fact-checking.

He added that the Ministry of Information requested last year a comprehensive evaluation of the regulatory measures adopted to combat misinformation networks, which was completed in September.

The representative stated that they presented Minister Marqos with the evaluation report, which is addressed to the relevant authorities and not intended for public release. However, it contains a set of recommendations that the ministry can work on implementing in collaboration with various official bodies and stakeholders in Lebanese society.

He revealed that the most prominent recommendation is the call for the adoption of a media law, alongside strengthening awareness campaigns, media and information education, and developing specialized programs in this field.