Dire Economy Prompts Lebanese Journalists to Find Jobs Abroad

Giselle Khoury. (Reuters)
Giselle Khoury. (Reuters)
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Dire Economy Prompts Lebanese Journalists to Find Jobs Abroad

Giselle Khoury. (Reuters)
Giselle Khoury. (Reuters)

Lebanese people often get preoccupied with news of prominent local journalists moving from one media institution to another. They often seek out the reasons from such a move, which usually makes headlines in the small country.

Now, as the country endures a crippling economic crisis, such job changes rarely make a blip on people’s radars. The latest trend, however, is seeing prominent journalists, whether news anchors, reporters or analysts, move abroad for better job opportunities.

They include Giselle Khoury, Rima Maktabi and Antoine Aoun to name a few. Others who have made the move from a rival local station to another include Marcel Ghanem, whose shift to MTV after 25 years at LBCI created shockwaves in the country. The same goes to Carla Haddad, who moved from MTV to LBCI, and Joe Maalouf, who made the move to MTV from LBCI. Other notable names that made such transitions are Tony Khalife, Neshan Der Haroutiounian, Dima Sadek, Maguy Farah and more.

Giselle Khoury recently joined Sky News Arabic, leaving her position at BBC Arabic. Nadim Koteich, who worked for years for Lebanon’s Future TV, recently made a move to Sky News Arabic as well.

Khoury began her career at LBCI before shifting to Al Arabiya television where she hosted two programs. She then moved to BBC Arabic before landing her new job at Sky News Arabic, which is based in the United Arabic Emirates.

“My choices have always been based on looking for new experiences to gain,” she told Asharq Al-Awsat. “At Al Arabiya, I learned about Arab media. At BBC Arabic, I learned about international media even though it is an Arabic-speaking channel.”

“A journalist with a lot of experience and a long history of work becomes an institution himself,” she remarked.

At Sky News Arabic, she said she was looking forward to entering the digital world and resuming political programs. She said her new job offers her a complete experience whereby she will appear on the television screen, while also communication through social media and other platforms.

“My move from one outlet to another is not linked to a lucrative salary, but rather the quality of the experience that I will gain,” Khoury said.

LBCI CEO Pierre El Daher said that it was natural for journalists today to seek new opportunities in wake of the severe economic crisis in Lebanon.

“We are now welcoming journalists’ departure given the dire situation in the country,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat. “There is not a single media institution in Lebanon that is not suffering from financial problems that are pushing employees to seek better opportunities.”

“I believe that material gain is behind any journalist’s move from one station to another,” he added. “This covers all fields of work.”



Destruction of Lebanon-Syria Border Crossings in Israeli Airstrikes Creates Difficulties

 A Syrian man passes by a bridge that links to Lebanon which was destroyed on Oct. 24 by an Israeli airstrike, in Qusair, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP)
A Syrian man passes by a bridge that links to Lebanon which was destroyed on Oct. 24 by an Israeli airstrike, in Qusair, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP)
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Destruction of Lebanon-Syria Border Crossings in Israeli Airstrikes Creates Difficulties

 A Syrian man passes by a bridge that links to Lebanon which was destroyed on Oct. 24 by an Israeli airstrike, in Qusair, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP)
A Syrian man passes by a bridge that links to Lebanon which was destroyed on Oct. 24 by an Israeli airstrike, in Qusair, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP)

A stream of refugees fleeing Lebanon to Syria crossed a narrow makeshift bridge on foot Sunday in the Qusair area of Syria’s Homs province after the official border crossing was put out of commission by an Israeli strike two days earlier.

Only three functioning crossings remain between the countries, which share a border 375 kilometers (233 mi) long.

In late September, an Israeli airstrike hit the border crossing of Matraba in Lebanon’s northeast, forcing it to close. A few weeks later came a strike on Masnaa, the main crossing between the two countries, putting it out of service. The Jousieh crossing was struck on Friday.

The Israeli military has accused the Hezbollah armed group of using the crossings to move weapons and military equipment from Syria to Lebanon. But humanitarian officials say that the closure of the crossings has intensified an already severe humanitarian crisis by blocking key routes for supplies and impeding access for those fleeing to safety.

“The situation is a tragedy,” said Ghossoun Mubarak, who fled with her three children from the city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon, describing the bombardment that pushed her to leave her home. They crossed via the makeshift foot bridge on Sunday.

The United Nations refugee agency, or UNHCR, said this week that around 430,000 people had crossed from Lebanon into Syria over the past month since Israel launched a major aerial bombardment and ground invasion of Lebanon as part of its push against Hezbollah. Lebanese officials give a higher estimate of more than half a million people.

Rula Amin, a spokesperson for the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, voiced concern over the damage to the crossings, calling them “a main lifeline for people escaping the conflict.”

“Today, it was better,” said Omar Abu Jabal, 29, who was returning to Lebanon Sunday via the Jousieh crossing after a work trip. “No issues along the way. But before, there were bombings, which stopped people from moving.”

Nabil Aakoul, director of transportation for the Homs province, said the recent strikes destroyed a bridge over the Orontes River, disrupting movement between vital agricultural areas.

Aakoul estimated that rebuilding the bridge will cost around 35 billion Syrian pounds (around $2.5 million dollars at the official exchange rate), while the damage has severed access to agricultural areas and isolated communities dependent on cross-river trade and travel.

Yahya Abu Youssef, who lives near the damaged bridge, described the strike as “inhumane” and reported injuries to children and livestock nearby.

“All that’s here is a bridge connecting villages and farms,” he said, noting that villagers now face an additional 10 kilometers (6 miles) of travel to reach the city of Homs.