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.”
