Al Bayrak
 | |
| Type | Daily |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Dar Alf Leila Wa Leila |
| Editor-in-chief | Melhem Karam |
| Founded | 1911 |
| Language | Arabic |
| Ceased publication | 2011 |
| Headquarters | Beirut |
Al Bayrak (in Arabic البيرق meaning The Flag) was an Arabic newspaper published in Lebanon and was headquartered in Beirut.[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] and was published by Dar Alf Leila Wa Leila publishing house.[3][4] The publishing house owned a number of daily and weekly publications in Lebanon and in Europe.[4]
In the 1990s Melhem Karam (died 2010)[5] was the editor and Said Nassereddine the editor-in-chief of the daily.[6] Then Karam who was also the president of Lebanese Journalists Association served as the editor-in-chief.[7][8] The daily was disestablished in 2011 due to financial problems.[7][9]
Influence and political orientation
In 2009, IREX, an international research board, cited the daily as one of the major eleven papers published in Lebanon.[10] At the initial phase of the Lebanese civil war in 1975 it had a pro-government stance.[11] In the early 1980s the western media described the daily as conservative.[12] It was one of the newspapers which advocates March 14 alliance in 2009.[10]
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...".[13]
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.[14] 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.[15] Aoun was accused of the abduction.[15]
References
- ^ "Company Directory". Media ME. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
- ^ a b The Middle East and North Africa 2003. Psychology Press. 31 October 2002. p. 737. ISBN 978-1-85743-132-2. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
- ^ "Media Landscape". Menassat. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- ^ a b "Profile". RDL. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ^ "Departure President of Lebanese Editors Syndicate Melhem Karam". Alowais. 23 May 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Journalists prosecuted over controversial interview". IFEX. 30 July 1999. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ^ a b Rasha Abouzaki (14 May 2012). "Lebanon's Media Industry: Jobs With Expiry Dates". Al Akhbar. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ^ Nabi Dajanil (Summer 2013). "The Myth of Media Freedom in Lebanon" (PDF). Arab Media and Society (18). Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- ^ "Great Journalist Melhem Karam Passes away". Syrian Arab News Agency. 22 May 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ^ a b "Media sustainability index 2008" (PDF). IREX. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 July 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Newspaper says Lebanon wants raid moratorium". The Bulletin. Beirut. AP. 27 January 1975. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ^ "Libya Building up Forces to Counter Israelis". Beaver County Times. AP. 22 September 1980. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- ^ Nadim Ladki (13 December 2005). "Lebanon mourns slain newspaper magnate". The Journal of Turkish Weekly. Beirut. Reuters. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ^ Ihsan A. Hijazi (19 January 1990). "A Second Newspaper Is Shut by Lebanese General". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
- ^ a b "Kidnapped journalist in Lebanon is released". Observer Reporter. Beirut. AP. 21 January 1990. Retrieved 22 September 2013.