Country’s political stalemate and a worsening security situation have seriously impacted funding of media houses

AFP, Beirut: Its slogan was “the voice of the voiceless”, but after four decades the prestigious Lebanese daily Al Safir is in danger of falling silent, illustrating the unprecedented crisis rocking the country’s media.

Lebanese newspapers, long seen as a beacon of freedom in a tumultuous region, are suffering because of the country’s political paralysis and a slump in funding from rival regional powers. Al Safir’s main competitor, Al Nahar, is also struggling to survive and its employees have not been paid for months. “Our ink has run dry,” said Talal Salman, founder and editor-in-chief of Al Safir. “The Lebanese press, a pioneer in the Arab world, is undergoing its worst crisis ever.”

“We’ve run out of funds and we’re desperately looking for a partner to finance the paper,” Salman said.

By Mina Al-Oraibi | Contributor

LONDON — Ever since the streets of Tunis and Cairo were occupied with protesters five years ago, the Arab world has been witnessing a turning of tides and overhaul of policies that seems sure to dictate regional dynamics for decades. No country is more emblematic of the pre-2011 status quo than Lebanon.

Since the endorsement of the Taif Agreement of 1989 that ended its brutal civil war, Lebanon has maintained a tricky power-sharing balance between political factions, based largely on religious, sectarian divides and reaffirmed by political dynasties. Importantly, this tricky balance was embedded in a regional power structure. While Iran ramped up its support for the Islamist Shia Hezbollah and its allies, Saudi Arabia became the primary backer of the Sunni political parties, primarily that of the assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik Al Hariri, and allies of various denominations. This balance was rooted in a Syrian hegemony that has been eroded as its own civil war enters its sixth year.

As Hezbollah’s armaments and leverage grew in size over the years, Saudi Arabia saw itself invested in the Lebanese military as the guarantor of the republic. However, this power play is today under great strain, as Saudi-Iranian tensions spill onto the surface. In a dramatic and unexpected move last month, Saudi Arabia announced it would halt its support to the Lebanese military, suspending a $4 billion aid package that included $3 billion to equip the Lebanese army with French weapons and equipment and another $1 extra billion for internal security.