Our goal is free media and reconciliation between the young generation and the state

After that, Al-Makari moved to the media center at the university, where a number of students from the Faculty of Information were waiting for him, who were interviewed by the Minister of Information, in the presence of the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at the University, Dr. Siddiqa Lashin, the Assistant Dean, Dr. Helka Alaa El-Din, the head of the Media Department, Iman Olaywan, the director of the center. Journalist Abeer Ghazal and media trainer Rita Najim Al-Roumi.

After a welcoming speech from Al-Roumi, in which she stressed the importance of “informing dialogue and accepting the other opinion,” and pointed out that what distinguishes Al-Makari is that he is “closer in personality to the students and to the people and possesses the humility of adults,” the Minister of Information called on the students to “rebuild Lebanon, especially since The legacy left to them is not worthy of them, their dreams, or their ambitions.”

The Minister of Information stressed the need for “there to be reconciliation between the state and the young generation, despite the disgust of state officials, and this is due to the difference in the dreams of young people from what they are currently experiencing,” calling on young people to “rebuild their dreams on national foundations that lead to building a healthy, non-profitable country.” “Destructible.” He also called on them to “learn from the mistakes of others with the aim of avoiding them during the process of building the nation.”

He emphasized “the importance of the prevailing sectarian and regional diversity in universities,” stressing “the need for the Lebanese to get to know each other and understand their mutual concerns and different understandings of topics.”

Regarding the importance of the media at the current stage, he pointed to “the role of social media that cannot be controlled.”

He said: “We are discussing a new media law with the aim of achieving a free media that resembles the younger generation and guarantees and preserves the freedom of expression that we sing so loudly in Lebanon, and for this law to be open to technology and development.”

He added: “In the new media law, we separated everything related to social media from the official and private media and emphasized the issue of professionalism, which would put the institutions and political atmosphere at ease.”

He continued: “The most important thing in the new law that is being worked on is that we have abolished the subject of imprisonment for journalists, including everything related to criticism, as the law is not supposed to include anything that condemns free opinion, in addition to the abolition of the Publications Court, which prosecutes journalists.”

Al-Makari pointed out “the establishment of a national body regulating media affairs, which decides the fate of cases in terms of whether they go to the judiciary, make settlements and reconciliations, or fine journalistic institutions,” stressing that “a journalist’s immunity is represented in his ethics and credibility.”

He stressed that “it is in the interest of the Ministry of Information that there be participation by university students, specifically media majors, in training in the Ministry’s departments for the mutual benefit between the two sides.”

He touched on “Lebanon’s memory, represented by the archives of Lebanon Television and the Ministry of Information, which shows the beautiful past of Lebanon, and at the same time shows what the Lebanese later committed to their country.”

He pointed out that “in politics, he represents the head of the Marada Movement, Suleiman Franjieh,” but “as Minister of Information, he represents all of Lebanon,” noting that “the first visits he made after assuming his duties in the ministry were to the media institutions affiliated with his political opponents, and Lebanon Television, the platform.” The largest in the Ministry of Information is open to all political opinions, especially political opponents who criticize the Minister of Information and those who represent him politically through his screen.