Seeking a fourth estate

ENAR

Whether the Parliamentary elections do take place on time or in several months, we are most certainly entering “election season”. This will mean an even bigger flurry of political programming with politicians vying for airtime and media exposure. After all, it is through media that they can reach out to their constituencies and state their case. This would normally mean that politicians would revere journalists or at least show them some respect, as media figures and reporters can play a huge role in helping these politicians come across in a favorable light, convey their messages, showcase their actions and appeal to voters. Instead, it is has now become common in the Lebanese political landscape to see an MP insulting accredited journalists on live TV when asking for a clarification, or a political leader to hold a press conference without allocating time for reporters to ask questions. We can go on