Media

A person is considered as "media literate" when he understands the key components of how and why media messages are created. Answering these questions provides you with tools to:
- critically analyze messages,
- detect propaganda, censorship, and bias in news, and
- understand how structural features, such as media ownership, or its funding, affect the information presented to you.

Media literacy means trying to understand not just what the media is saying and writing, but why they choose to say or highlight some things and not others, who chooses the different media messages, and how the media influence public opinion by the little things they say and write. In order to think for yourself and make up your own mind, you need to understand the mind of the media.

From two Lebanese papers on September 23, 2006:
HEADLINE 1: "Nasrallah further escalates his tone: no disarmament under the current State. Siniora despite attacks against him: focusing on dialogue widens up all future perspectives."
HEADLINE 2: "Nasrallah speaks in front of an ocean of people in Dahieh: no dissension, no division, and there should be a strong, capable and fair State."

From two Lebanese papers on October 15, 2009:
HEADLINE 3: "A sudden Aounist escalation about the "communication networks" and Hezbollah talks about Arab and American obstacles."
HEADLINE 4: "Hariri provokes Aoun and the opposition rejects partial rotation."

May Abi Samra takes a historical view at Lebanese journalism.

    Most Lebanese believe that they are the best in the Arab world. They are better educated, they have the best schools and universities, they know how to dress, they have more culture and, most importantly, they are more successful in the market place. Let’s investigate one specific subject, journalism, and see if Lebanon really is more successful and ‘better’ than other Arab countries.