Al Bayrak

Al Bayrak (Arabic: البيرق; The Flag) was an Arabic language newspaper published in Beirut, Lebanon.[1] It was one of the leading and oldest Arabic papers in the country. After being published for a century the paper closed in 2011.

Al Bayrak
TypeDaily newspaper
PublisherDar Alf Leila Wa Leila
Editor-in-chiefMelhem Karam
Founded1911
LanguageArabic
Ceased publication2011
HeadquartersBeirut

History

Al Bayrak was founded in 1911.[1][2] The publisher was Dar Alf Leila Wa Leila publishing house which owned a number of daily and weekly publications in Lebanon and in Europe.[3]

In the 1990s Melhem Karam was the editor and Said Nassereddine the editor-in-chief of the daily.[4][5] Then Karam who was also the president of Lebanese Journalists Association served as the editor-in-chief.[6][7] The daily was disestablished in 2011 due to financial problems.[6][8]

Influence and political orientation

In 2009, IREX, an international research board, cited the daily as one of the major eleven papers published in Lebanon.[9] At the initial phase of the Lebanese civil war in 1975 it had a pro-government stance.[10] In the early 1980s the western media described the daily as conservative.[11] It was one of the newspapers which advocated March 14 alliance in 2009.[9]

Content

In 1999, Al Bayrak published an interview with Robert Hatem, who was the author of From Israel to Damascus who had been banned in Lebanon.[4] Due to the publication of the interview the Beirut Appeals Court prosecuted Melhem Karam and Said Nassereddine, who were respectively editor and editor-in-chief.[4] Following the assassination of Lebanese journalist and lawmaker Gebran Tueni in December 2005, the headline of the daily was "Enough...".[12]

Bans and attacks

The daily was banned by Michel Aoun, then interim prime minister and army commander, on 19 January 1990 due to its clash with Aoun's policies.[13] In the immediate aftermath of the ban a reporter working for the daily, George Hajj, was abducted in Beirut and was freed eight hours later.[14] Aoun was accused of the abduction.[14]

References
  1. The Middle East and North Africa 2003 (49th ed.). London; New York: Europa Publications. 2002. p. 737. ISBN 978-1-85743-132-2.
  2. "The Press". Who's Who in Lebanon 2007-2008 (19th ed.). Beirut: Publitec. 2007. p. 548. doi:10.1515/9783110945904. ISBN 978-3598077340.
  3. "Profile". RDL. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  4. "Journalists prosecuted over controversial interview". IFEX. 30 July 1999. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  5. "Departure President of Lebanese Editors Syndicate Melhem Karam". Alowais. 23 May 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  6. Rasha Abouzaki (14 May 2012). "Lebanon's Media Industry: Jobs With Expiry Dates". Al Akhbar. Archived from the original on 29 September 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  7. Nabi Dajanil (Summer 2013). "The Myth of Media Freedom in Lebanon" (PDF). Arab Media and Society (18).
  8. "Great Journalist Melhem Karam Passes away". Syrian Arab News Agency. 22 May 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  9. "Media sustainability index 2008" (PDF). IREX. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 July 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  10. "Newspaper says Lebanon wants raid moratorium". The Bulletin. Beirut. AP. 27 January 1975. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  11. "Libya Building up Forces to Counter Israelis". Beaver County Times. AP. 22 September 1980. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
  12. Nadim Ladki (13 December 2005). "Lebanon mourns slain newspaper magnate". The Journal of Turkish Weekly. Beirut. Reuters. Archived from the original on 15 September 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  13. Ihsan A. Hijazi (19 January 1990). "A Second Newspaper Is Shut by Lebanese General". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  14. "Kidnapped journalist in Lebanon is released". Observer Reporter. Beirut. AP. 21 January 1990. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
  • Media related to Al Bayrak at Wikimedia Commons
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