NNA ndash; Director of the National News Agency, Ziad Harfouche, delivered a word this afternoon at the second session of the media conference organized by Amal Movementrsquo;s central media office under the headline, ldquo;The Role of the Lebanese Media in the Formulation of Positive Political Rhetoric in Lebanonrdquo;, patronized by Caretaker Information Minister, Ziad al-Makary, at the Riviera Hotel in Beirut.
Harfouche considered in his word that ldquo;political Identityrdquo; and ldquo;media discoursequot; arenbsp;at the core essence where everything begins in the media. He noted that in private media, each outlet has an identity and image, whether political, partisan or ideological, while in the case of public media the situation is different, as there is no political or partisan identity, but rather a comprehensive national identity.
He added: ldquo;When we talk about public media, we first mean the National News Agency, which is the first and foremost source of news material and the only main resource that feeds the media, in all its forms, domains, functions, trends, policies and agendas.rdquo;
Harfouche stressed that NNA is not with anyone in particular nor against anyone, but rather is in the service of all. ldquo;This is what public media should behellip;Patriotic, genuine, impartial,nbsp;and presenting news without any political color, any partisan passion, or any personal affiliation,rdquo; he maintained.
Harfouche continued to underline that the National News Agency does not publish news attributed to a ldquo;sourcerdquo; or ldquo;sourcesrdquo; without mentioning the name explicitly, in line with the principle of transparency and total clarity, unlike what is usually prevalent in media outlets, a matter that isnbsp;understandable and natural in a media outlet that follows a specific identity dictating a specific rhetoric.
ldquo;Our neutral position, professional role, and calm rhetoric necessitate that we do not hide behind any lsquo;sourcersquo; nor place any mask between us and the news recipient, i.e. all the media,rdquo; he emphasized.
quot;We do not claim professional utopianism or journalistic sanctity in public mediahellip;Rather, we only try to be in harmony with the nature of our work, the concept of our public message, and the essence of our comprehensive national identity, so we work according to what is required by our clear media image, regardless of any inclination or affiliation,quot; Harfouche concluded.
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