The October 17 uprising has changed a lot of things, from the political involvement of Lebanese citizens to their reliance on “alternative media,” for their daily dose of news. This term refers to “media sources that differ from established or dominant types of media, such as mainstream media or mass media.” Its consumption increased in Lebanon post-October 17 when Lebanese people wanted platforms that provided daily news that’s not tarnished with any biases or affiliations.
Alternative media consists of different media outlets with its most prevalent forms being podcasts and social media platforms. It has been used by Lebanese people who have lost trust in the traditional news outlets. Alternative media is not just a reference for platforms that tackle politics without any affiliation, it also refers to media channels that tackle taboo topics that the traditional media refrains from or miserably fails in discussing. Both news outlets that are independent from the current political parties in power and outlets that educate people about “taboo” topics such as sex and sexuality were on demand. The traditional media’s attempts at addressing such topics have rendered futile. One perfect example of that was when the MTV show “Aa Gher Kawkab” hosted Dr. Sandrine Atallah, a Lebanese sexologist. The host and guests proceeded to shame her for doing her job and using her social media accounts to normalise talking about sex, and that there’s no harm in being educated and educating others about it. This incident did not sit well with segments of the Lebanese youth in specific and caused a social media riot from those who perceived it to be immature. Following this episode, they turned to the alternative media outlets that showed solidarity with Dr. Atallah and gave her a platform to talk about what happened and discuss sex in a mature approach. Lebanese people in general and the youth in particular have given the traditional media a lot of chances to fix their mistakes and regain the audiences’ trust, but they’ve managed to blow every single one.
The people asked, so they shall receive. On this basis, social media accounts and websites that provide daily news were created. One very notable news account is Megaphone News. It is an independent platform that provides daily local, regional, and international news. It also provides an analysis of the news for the people who want to keep up with all the happenings. Alongside providing news, it tackles topics that no other traditional media channel would ever tackle. One of these topics is period poverty. In 2020, as a result of the economic crisis, the availability of menstrual products as well as the ability to purchase them declined. When the subsidy basket was being approved (by seven ministers who are men), men’s razors were included, but not menstrual products. This caused an uproar, and Megaphone News did not shy away from calling out the misogynistic motives behind such a decision and attributing it to the fact that all the ministers responsible for this are men. Megaphone News dedicates a bulk of its platform for mental health awareness. For example, a year after the August 4 massacre, the platform dedicated a considerable part of its reporting to PTSD and childhood trauma that had developed among a huge number of people in Lebanon as a result of this explosion. The topic of mental health is often considered taboo, and it is rare to see any traditional media outlet covering such a vital topic. It has always been deemed shameful and as a thing for “lunatics” in Lebanon specifically, and the Arab world in general. As a result, its significance has never been emphasized, nor has the topic been tackled adequately. Platforms such as Megaphone News contribute in making such discussions more accessible for people in the country and in the region, and in breaking the stigma that revolves around mental health.
Despite the fact that Megaphone News is considered progressive, it cannot be relied on entirely as they tend to dismiss some background information. To illustrate, when German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave up her seat as Prime Minister, Megaphone prepared a Twitter thread praising her for all the work she’s done. One major problematic factor that Megaphone ignored is that Merkel is a Zionist who has supported the occupation for a long time, developed strong economic ties with them, and confirmed the importance of Israeli security for Germany.
Other than social media accounts, people have started to rely heavily on podcasts for education and entertainment purposes. Most of these Lebanese podcasts tackling political and taboo topics were launched after the October 17 uprising, when the main topic of discussion was politics. One very popular Lebanese podcast is Sarde After Dinner, which aired its first episode at the beginning of quarantine back in March 2020. The hosts of Sarde After Dinner tackle a range of topics, usually challenging the status quo. What makes Sarde a well-known podcast is the range of powerful guests they host, as well as the fact that these guests, alongside the hosts, delve deep into the topic at hand, leaving the audience satisfied about learning new things. They host musicians, historians, and well-renowned journalists; and that variety is what gives the podcast its leverage. Despite the buzz that Sarde receives, it tends to sometimes host controversial guests who support traditional establishments instead of challenging them. Some of these guests include Carlos Ghosn, a businessman and internationally wanted fugitive, as well as Ziyad Baroud, a former minister of interior who allied himself with a political party back in 2018. These guests among others were not liked by a chunk of Sarde’s audience and caused a lot of controversy. Nonetheless, when Dr. Sandrine Atallah faced backlash for simply doing her job, as aforementioned, Sarde gave her the space to narrate the incident from her perspective and actually let her do her job by educating the people. They also hosted her pre-incident to have an enriching discussion about her field and answer questions that would often be considered shameful in Lebanese culture. In addition, Dr. Sandrine Atallah has her own podcast where she invites sex experts and fellow sexologists in order to delve into topics that her viewers and fans have requested to learn more about.
The youth don’t want to hear the words, “you’re too young for this” or “aayb,” which qualifies something as shameful. This is why they resort to the alternative media to learn what their parents and the people around them would never agree to teach until “it’s time.” The alternative media has clearly become a tool to tear down cultural taboos and allow people to learn more about themselves. When it comes to topics like sex and politics, teenagers and young adults in Arab countries resort to podcasts and social media instead of talking to their parents or sibling who they know will shoot them down. Teenagers rely on platforms like Dr. Sandrine Atallah’s podcast and social media accounts, as well as alternative media outlets like Sarde After Dinner or news channels like Megaphone News to get their daily dose of knowledge with no restrictions from people and institutions who think that the topics tackled by alternative media sources are “aayb.”
Edited by Maria Noujaim