The toxic threat to journalism in Lebanon

A story about a cover-up of toxic waste in Lebanon takes on a new light after the Beirut port explosion.

People protest over journalism rights in Beirut, Lebanon
People protest over journalism rights in Beirut, Lebanon [Marwan Tahtah/The Public Source]

Lara Bitar, a Lebanese journalist, has been reporting on the toxic waste that has been in Lebanon since the country’s civil war – reporting that took on a new meaning in the wake of Beirut’s 2020 port explosion. This March, she and another journalist were summoned by the government over stories they had written. What does Lara’s story mean for the future of journalism in Lebanon?

In this episode: 

  • Lara Bitar (@LaraJBitar), editor-in-chief of The Public Source

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Amy Walters with Chloe K. Li and host, Kevin Hirten. Khaled Soltan fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. 

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Source: Al Jazeera

Advertisement