Lebanese political coverage has a structural problem: much of it is written from briefings, and a briefing is an argument, not a fact. A reader cannot tell, from most reports, whether a claim came from a document, a vote, a named official, or an interested party who asked not to be identified.
Our approach on this beat is narrow and, we think, useful.
We report decisions, not atmospherics
A cabinet session produces decisions, minutes and appointments. Those are checkable. “Sources say the mood was tense” is not, and we will not lead with it.
Anonymity is a cost, not a convenience
We will grant it where a source faces real risk, and when we do, we will say in the piece what the source is in a position to know and why they cannot be named. A story built entirely on unnamed sources will say so plainly at the top.
Positions get labelled
Where the Journal argues something about Lebanese politics, it will run as opinion, be labelled as opinion, and be signed. It will not be smuggled into a news report through adjectives.
If we fall short of this on a given story, the place to tell us is editor@thebeirutjournal.com, and the correction will run on the article itself.
