2016- Conference- “Migration/Refugees and Media in Lebanon.”

 

Dr. Guita Hourani presented her work on migration, refugees, and media in Lebanon at the Thematic Debate on Media and Migration, which was organized within the framework of the 60th meeting of the Bureau of the Intergovernmental Council of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), UNESCO, Paris, France.

 

Dr. Hourani presented a brief report on the media's coverage of refugees in Lebanon, particularly the Syrian refugees, where she illustrated how the schism within the Lebanese government regarding supporting the Syrian regime or the “revolution” fueled the already contentious political environment in the country, which in turn reflected on the media’s portrayal of the refugees. She went on to explain how, as the crisis in Syria became protracted and as the number of Syrian refugees exceeded 1.2 million, the media began hammering down on the negative impact of their presence in Lebanon, reflecting not only the socio-political context of the country but also the political proclivities of the media outlets.

 

The IPDC “is the only multilateral forum in the UN system designed to mobilize the international community to discuss and promote media development. The Programme not only provides support for media development projects but also stimulates international debate on important media-related issues.”