The Information debate

In July, a controversy erupted when two Israel journalists traveling under foreign passports came to Lebanon to report on the country a year after the summer 2006 war. The pair, Lisa Goldman and Rinat Malkes, was taken to task by Nour Samaha of the Daily Star, who wrote that the journalists “not only broke Lebanese law, but also violated codes of ethics in journalism and endangered the lives of those they interviewed.” Goldman defended herself against several of Samaha’s statements. But one phrase in particular stood out in her response: “Ramez Maluf, professor of journalism at the Lebanese American University, is quoted in the article as saying that Israelis interested in news about Lebanon should rely on the wire services. That sounds a lot like ‘let them eat cake.’ Me, I prefer a more substantive meal. Given the tsunami of congratulatory emails I have received from both Lebanese and Israelis,