Al Bayrak

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Al Bayrak
Al-Bayrak-newspaper-logo.png
TypeDaily newspaper
PublisherDar Alf Leila Wa Leila
Editor-in-chiefMelhem Karam
Founded1911
LanguageArabic
Ceased publication2011
HeadquartersBeirut

Al Bayrak (in Arabic البيرق meaning The Flag) was an Arabic language newspaper published in Beirut, Lebanon.[1][2] It was one of the leading and oldest Arabic papers in the country. After being published for a century the paper closed in 2011.

History[]

Al Bayrak was founded in 1911.[2][3] The publisher was Dar Alf Leila Wa Leila publishing house.[4][5] The publishing house owned a number of daily and weekly publications in Lebanon and in Europe.[5]

In the 1990s Melhem Karam was the editor and Said Nassereddine the editor-in-chief of the daily.[6][7] Then Karam who was also the president of Lebanese Journalists Association served as the editor-in-chief.[8][9] The daily was disestablished in 2011 due to financial problems.[8][10]

Influence and political orientation[]

In 2009, IREX, an international research board, cited the daily as one of the major eleven papers published in Lebanon.[11] At the initial phase of the Lebanese civil war in 1975 it had a pro-government stance.[12] In the early 1980s the western media described the daily as conservative.[13] It was one of the newspapers which advocates March 14 alliance in 2009.[11]

Content[]

In 1999, Al Bayrak published an interview with Robert Hatem, who published a book titled From Israel to Damascus.[6] The book had been banned in Lebanon.[6] Due to the publication of the interview the Beirut Appeals Court prosecuted Melhem Karam and Said Nassereddine, who were respectively editor and editor-in-chief.[6] Following the assassination of Lebanese journalist and lawmaker Gebran Tueni in December 2005, the headline of the daily was "Enough...".[14]

Bans and attacks[]

The daily was banned by Michel Aoun, then interim prime minister and army commander, on 19 January 1990 due to its clash with Aoun's policies.[15] In the immediate aftermath of the ban a reporter working for the daily, George Hajj, was abducted in Beirut and was freed eight hours later.[16] Aoun was accused of the abduction.[16]

References[]

  1. ^ "Company Directory". Media ME. Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  2. ^ a b The Middle East and North Africa 2003. Psychology Press. 2002. p. 737. ISBN 978-1-85743-132-2.
  3. ^ "The Press". Who's Who in Lebanon 2007-2008 (19th ed.). Beirut; Munich: De Gruyter Saur. 2007. p. 548. doi:10.1515/9783110945904. ISBN 978-3598077340.
  4. ^ "Media Landscape". Menassat. Archived from the original on 20 February 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
  5. ^ a b "Profile". RDL. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d "Journalists prosecuted over controversial interview". IFEX. 30 July 1999. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  7. ^ "Departure President of Lebanese Editors Syndicate Melhem Karam". Alowais. 23 May 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  8. ^ a b Rasha Abouzaki (14 May 2012). "Lebanon's Media Industry: Jobs With Expiry Dates". Al Akhbar. Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  9. ^ Nabi Dajanil (Summer 2013). "The Myth of Media Freedom in Lebanon" (PDF). Arab Media and Society (18). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2013.
  10. ^ "Great Journalist Melhem Karam Passes away". Syrian Arab News Agency. 22 May 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  11. ^ a b "Media sustainability index 2008" (PDF). IREX. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 July 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  12. ^ "Newspaper says Lebanon wants raid moratorium". The Bulletin. Beirut. AP. 27 January 1975. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  13. ^ "Libya Building up Forces to Counter Israelis". Beaver County Times. AP. 22 September 1980. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
  14. ^ Nadim Ladki (13 December 2005). "Lebanon mourns slain newspaper magnate". The Journal of Turkish Weekly. Beirut. Reuters. Archived from the original on 15 September 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  15. ^ Ihsan A. Hijazi (19 January 1990). "A Second Newspaper Is Shut by Lebanese General". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  16. ^ a b "Kidnapped journalist in Lebanon is released". Observer Reporter. Beirut. AP. 21 January 1990. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
  • Media related to Al Bayrak at Wikimedia Commons
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