Racism In Lebanon Essay

They deliberately forgot about the deforesting of the coast and mountains, as well as the poisonous effects of the ongoing garbage crisis, which has resulted from the corruption of politicians but, again, been blamed on Syrians.As a journalist, I am deeply troubled by these events.Lebanese television stations are generally owned by sectarian political parties or wealthy businessmen with political ambitions. The online media could provide a modern and affordable alternative.

They deliberately forgot about the deforesting of the coast and mountains, as well as the poisonous effects of the ongoing garbage crisis, which has resulted from the corruption of politicians but, again, been blamed on Syrians.As a journalist, I am deeply troubled by these events.Lebanese television stations are generally owned by sectarian political parties or wealthy businessmen with political ambitions. The online media could provide a modern and affordable alternative.

Professor at the American University of Beirut, Dr.

Nasser Yassin, decided to address the Syrian refugee crisis with facts and figures that defy the mainstream racist rhetoric, as part of the #AUB4Refugees initiative.

When Lebanese fire fellow countrymen and hire Syrians who agree to work for longer hours and less money, this is clearly a biased approach.

But the television station will not highlight this fact.

They hire young graduates with insufficient knowledge of Arabic and the basics of reporting and writing skills.

The media in general ignore the importance of investigative journalism, and don't provide or finance training for their employees on new genres in reporting, such as covering refugee issues, migration and the humanitarian crisis.A few months ago, some journalists questioned the real reasons behind the death of Syrians detainees after a military raid on refugee camps in Ersal in the Bekaa. I am afraid the colleague mentioned earlier described the situation well, even if it wasn't his intention; it is blind patriotism – obedience, to be more accurate – to the political and military authorities, rather than humanity and independent thinking. Can we not be patriotic and refuse violations of human rights at the same time?However, there might be another, deliberately undermined side of the story: that refugees are not a social and economic burden.29 August 2017: A poisonous attitude has emerged among the media reporting on the refugee crisis in Lebanon, says Sawssan Abou-Zahr.Bias and racism are being used to blame domestic problems on those fleeing war – and distracting from the real issues. Who knows, maybe someday I will get fired and one of them will take my place." This was a famous Lebanese anchorwoman, known to support the Assad regime, speaking live on a primetime talk show.Unfortunately, they are the rule, not the exception.A colleague once told me: "I put Lebanon's interests first, you should too…Accusing Syrians of stealing Lebanese jobs is a populist trend and appeals to its audience.A prominent newspaper once published that Hamra Street, the most vibrant and diverse in Beirut, was invaded by "dark skinned Syrians." This is blunt racism, not to mention ridiculously inaccurate.Some claimed, in a silly conspiracy theory, that the American University of Beirut had a hidden agenda of promoting the permanent settlement of refugees in the country.In all cases, those in doubt never provided reliable statistics that prove the researchers wrong.