by Rubina Abu Zeinab-Chahine| The Daily Star

Many
years ago Lebanese journalism had always maintained a “reputation for
excellence” and accordingly had a luster as a center of journalism.
Historically, Lebanon was the first country in the region to have
newspaper publishing, where the first was published in 1858. In the
first half of the 20th century, hundreds of newspapers were published
across the country, giving Lebanon its unique role in bridging East and
West and making the history of the Lebanese press surrounded by analysts
all over the Middle East. Press Martyrs’ Day is an occasion that
has been commemorated on May 6 in public and private spheres throughout
the country for many decades to honor journalists and activists killed
in the name of free speech.

This occasion has always been a great
opportunity to salute the Lebanese press and to praise the country’s
media. It is a catalyst of hope to foster freedom and democracy and an
eternal remembrance of journalists who sacrificed their lives for the
country to survive and for the Lebanese people to live in peace. How
did the Lebanese press assist the state in highlighting challenges and
opportunities? Journalism in Lebanon has always been at the forefront of
promoting social and political change. Twenty years ago Lebanon
Opportunities, a leading business magazine, had “dreams abound of a
modern country, fair to its citizens, hospitable to its returning or
visiting expatriates and to tourists, enabling business to thrive and
protecting the weak strata of its people” and committed itself to the
“side of doers” as stated in the special anniversary issue of Lebanon
Opportunities.

For 20 years, Lebanon Opportunities published every
month, a magazine about “what is working, how it is done, where the
opportunities are and how to face obstacles,” as presented by its
publisher and editor-in-chief, Ramzi el-Hafez. Few words say everything
about the hard work that has been delivering optimism and investing in
hope throughout the last two decades. The 20th anniversary issue
takes us in a “journey” of fulfilling a national promise of progress and
development, backed up by statistics, analyzed and visualized data,
generating a story of social change with strong impact on engaging
audiences and promoting civic activism. It compares in a real and
figurative sense the situation at the time the magazine started in 1997
with today’s situation, highlighting major national achievements in
addition to emphasizing measures of success and failure.

The
magazine has been taking the lead on the challenge of completeness,
accuracy and usability of existing data, trying to determine unavailable
data or analysis needed. Equally important, it has been working hard
toward reaching benchmarking performance and finding innovative
approaches in the areas of data interpretation, analysis and
dissemination. The role it has been playing is much more than providing
policymakers with the data they need, but in the form that is useable
for their purposes. The availability of up-to-date, in-depth,
nonpartisan analysis of data has been always its battle.

Data is
the “lifeblood” of decision-making and the raw material for
accountability in any society. It is almost impossible to design,
monitor and evaluate effective policies if high-quality data, the right
information on the right things at the right time, is missing. However,
the data landscape is continually changing. New ways to address
important data gaps are essential for developing effective policy
recommendations.

Developing innovative solutions and approaches
that help policymakers better engage with research and increase its use
in policymaking. A 2009 OECD report on how science can help achieve
“better governmental policies, programs, regulations, treaties and
infrastructures for dealing with complex systems” said, “In a complex
system, it is not uncommon for small changes to have big effects, big
changes to have surprisingly small effects, and for effects to come from
unanticipated causes.”

People, organizations and governments are
excluded and marginalized when they lack access to resources, knowledge,
capacity, opportunities and most importantly data. As a 2014 U.N.
report on data said, “There are huge and growing inequalities in access
to data and information and in the ability to use it.”

Lebanon can
learn from economist Timothy D. Hogan’s observations about data in the
U.S. state of Indiana: “Indiana’s public policymakers and
administrators, business executives and nonprofit leaders require
convenient access to accurate, timely data and analysis concerning the
state, its communities, its citizens and its economy to carry out their
responsibilities properly.”

This month the Lebanese people are
celebrating both the “Press Martyrs’ Day” and Lebanon Opportunities’
20th anniversary. It is the occasion to reflect on the role of media in
development and ask which media and what approach will help in achieving
progress and development as well as meet contemporary challenges? How
can media become an instrument of social transformation toward a better
society?

How can media outlets collaborate with research and
academic institutions in tracking reliable, real-life data that can
bring decision-making back to reality?

Rubina Abu Zeinab-Chahine is executive director of the Hariri Foundation for Sustainable Human Development.