Watchdogs Gazette is an independent student publication based in Lebanon. It was founded in Spring 2019, by students, for students, as a platform to house and protect freedom of thought and expression.
Students, especially in Lebanon, have been an essential force of change within our communities, societies, and region. When our voices are muted and lost, and our writing dictated and our thoughts censored, the power that lies within penmanship is confiscated from us.
Detached from the fears that haunt our ability to express our opinions, we build this initiative: an initiative that hinges on distinguishing the difference between an opinion and a false fact laced as one.
By presenting ourselves as student-writers within this space, we grant ourselves a liberty that is not divorced from responsibility. We launch this project with a vision to empower writers, but within a journalistic integrity that does not endorse the publication of writing that explicitly or implicitly repackages racism, sexism, homophobia, or any other forms of hateful and discriminatory thought.
The name Watchdogs reflects our objective of fostering an environment where student-academics can be critical of their surroundings and hold their administrators and higher ups accountable. This publication is solely run by students, independent from any administrative body, where it does not threaten our campus’ associations both internally and externally nor harm our universities’ name.
Our campus has been sheltered away from the causes most meaningful to us. The identities we determine for ourselves have been shelved and labeled problematic. We understand the burdens that come with speaking up but also the dire consequences of remaining mute. We therefore see to it, that pen-names are adopted for those of us who need them. We seek, with this initiative, to gain our voices back. We invite you to have a voice louder than us by providing you with the tools and platform to express it.
May our student body become, if not remain, fearlessly vocal, eager for a constructive discourse.
We, in the future, hope this platform reports from and connects different campuses in multiple languages within our defined state, and we work toward it becoming an accessible tool for students to share and challenge perceptions through sharp, aware, and informed writing.
The Editorial Team, led by the Editor-in-Chief, retains full and final say on what is published in the gazette. All articles, under the banner of freedom of speech, even ones the staff may disagree with, are welcome for submission, as long as they are well-written and well-informed. Student-readers are encouraged to keep an open-mind and are invited to submit work that challenges articles they have disagreed with.
– Founders, Advisors, and Editors
Updated January 2025
We welcome all inquiries, messages, comments, and submissions from the student body. You can get in contact with us through this form.