Genuine freedom of expression does exist in Lebanese media, but the sector remains controlled by a handful of individuals affiliated with political parties or belonging to local dynasties. The most influential TV channels are LBCI, Al Jadeed and MTV, owned, respectively, by the Daher-Saad, Khayat and Murr families. Al Manar is Hezbollah’s official TV channel. Independent online media are widely consulted and play an important role in the country’s media landscape.

Despite a solid eco-system of independent online media created before or after the 2019 protests, political parties have a stranglehold on the mainstream media, which depend on investors and reflect the Lebanese political structure. The media reflect the country’s political and community divisions, such as the religious oversight that weighs on the media.

A new media bill has been under discussion for years but has yet to materialize. Defamation, slander and the dissemination of false information are criminalised by the penal code, which defines these violations broadly. The justice system is often manipulated in order to fine media outlets. Journalists are often subjected to abusive interrogations by authorities that lack the proper jurisdiction. This violates the press law, which restricts all legal proceedings to the publications court.

The media are suffering from the effects of the historic financial crisis afflicting the country. The Beirut port explosion in August 2020 forced them to make enormous budget cuts, affecting both their activities and their employee headcount. Many Beirut-based journalists and news media that were affected by the explosion have depended on international aid to recover and to cope with the crisis. Fuel shortages and blackouts prevent them from reporting in the field.

Public opinion is predominantly conservative, and some topics remain taboo, even forbidden, such as criticism of the country’s cultural and religious heritage. Journalists and media outlets covering sensitive topics, such as the plight of refugees in the country or gender and minority rights, are harassed and accused of serving Western interests. Political activists, especially Hezbollah loyalists, participate in intimidation campaigns and use X (the former Twitter) to threaten journalists. 

On three occasions, journalists who were clearly identified as such were targeted and killed by Israeli bombings at the border in 2023 and 2024. Many journalists have been forcibly displaced throughout the war. Journalists working in the country have also faced intimidation, threats, and physical assaults from local parties due to their reporting. The practice of summoning journalists for unlawful interrogations because of their work has continued, and impunity persists in all cases of journalists killed in the country.