# LIT REVIEW - Lebanon media landscape

{% hint style="warning" %}
This resource page is a work in progress. Please get in touch to let us know what is missing [using this form](https://forms.gle/ZAjDBxAk2D3V5Bes8).&#x20;
{% endhint %}

GFMD is curating a [literature review](/resources/lit-review.md) of resources relevant to media assistance in Lebanon. You can browse the resources by the topics below:

{% content-ref url="/pages/-MO23fu6as\_k7aEGpRX-" %}
[Digital distribution of news](/resources/lit-review/digital-distribution.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/-MO24c9HCVI4-X1AvP-O" %}
[Digital rights and free expression](/resources/lit-review/digital-rights-free-expression.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/-MO26WdSTuCFawxjRQHy" %}
[Start-ups, new & alternative media](/resources/lit-review/start-ups-new-alternative-media.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/-MO291qGxVxF30QGdV44" %}
[Trust in news media](/resources/lit-review/trust.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/-MVvXCTZcLEw1DLyFdte" %}
[Sustainability case studies](/resources/lit-review/case-studies.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

## OVERVIEW

{% embed url="<https://ijnet.org/en/story/media-lebanon-one-year-after-beirut-blast>" %}

## **Humanitarian**

{% hint style="danger" %}
At least 191 people were killed, over 6,500 were injured. Around 40,000 buildings were damaged, leaving more than 300,000 without shelter and at least 70,000 left jobless.&#x20;

Those with the most urgent needs before and after the explosion are poor Lebanese, migrant workers, and refugee communities.&#x20;

The explosion aggravated an already dire situation with more than 3.2 million people who are considered in need of humanitarian protection assistance in 2020. [(ACAPS](https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/20200921_acaps_situation_analysis_beirut_explosion.pdf))
{% endhint %}

For background on the governance issues that led to the explosion see:&#x20;

* [A Hidden Tycoon, African Explosives, and a Loan from a Notorious Bank: Questionable Connections Surround Beirut Explosion Shipment (OCCRP)](https://www.occrp.org/en/investigations/a-hidden-tycoon-african-explosives-and-a-loan-from-a-notorious-bank-questionable-connections-surround-beirut-explosion-shipment)
* [Lebanon’s Offshore Governor (OCCRP)](https://www.occrp.org/en/investigations/lebanons-offshore-governor)

## **Political crisis**

{% hint style="warning" %}
Lebanon is a divided society characterized by a conflict of political interests. The Beirut blast has worsened the situation. It is a transition period and there is a huge lack of trust in public institutions and the current political elite.&#x20;
{% endhint %}

## **The financial and economic crisis**

{% hint style="warning" %}
Businesses are shutting down, with the closure of [newspapers](/resources/lit-review/digital-distribution.md) and mainstream media houses.
{% endhint %}

## **Absence of (public sector) authority and state assistance**

{% hint style="info" %}
GFMD’s partners in Lebanon report that civic initiatives and NGOs are stepping in and filling the failures of the state.&#x20;
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
In the long-term, this is not sustainable. However, many civic groups believe that NGOs could contribute to institution building in the right political circumstances.
{% endhint %}

{% embed url="<https://www.skeyesmedia.org/en/News/Reports/15-02-2022/9874>" %}


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://lebanon-coordination.gfmd.info/resources/lit-review.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.
