Sectarianism in the Lebanese newscast : a case study of the coverage of the Yemeni crisis by Al-Manar and Future t.v. between 2015 & 2017

Abstract

Lebanon is a country that is well known for its diversity. Its 10452 Km2 surface is the homeland of 18 different sects. In the 1970s Lebanon witnessed the break out of a civil war between its various sects. The Lebanese political system is one of a kind. It is said to be "democratic" while it is dominated by sectarianism, a concept that is completely opposite to democracy. The spectrum of Lebanese media is a mirror that reflects the populations variety. Each TV station is owned by a political party and addresses a specific audience. Through this study, I was able to point out that despite the complexity of the Yemeni civil war, a war that included multiple sides, parties and sects battling over power, Lebanese TV stations chose alliances and failed to be impartial. This was explicitly demonstrated in the coverage of the Yemeni war in the evening news bulletins. Throughout my analysis, I will show that while news bulletins are made to inform people about what is accurately happening locally and around the world, balance, truth and fairness remain blurred lines in Lebanese media coverage.