From the revolution, it was born in the face of oppression and as a result of the struggling media. The first-ever revolution newspaper was released less than a day ago, carrying the name 17Teshreen, the day the revolution started: 17 October.
17Teshreen represents the birth date of the new Lebanon; the first editorial explained that they chose this name because the ruling political parties have not left a name they didn’t use.
They pointed out that the newspaper seeks to “document the experiences and achievements of the Lebanese street.”
For those of you in doubt about the finances of the paper, here is a clarification. According to the young director Bashir Abu Zaid, one of the founders of the newspaper, in an interview with Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed, this newspaper was founded by five friends.
The team collected financial donations from the demonstrators and printed the newspaper in a commercial printing press.
These group of friends felt that the media under political influences cannot always convey the right picture. Thus, the need for a fair image of the uprising with transparency and fairness to protect the revolution from false and misleading information.
Abu Zaid explained, “I cannot determine the identity of the newspaper (October 17), because the revolution is still forming and discovering itself daily.” He hopes that this paper will restore criticism to Lebanese press writings and allow freedom of expression.
Journalists Khaled Saghieh and Jaafar Al-Attar are among the co-founding friends. In his post, Al-Attar wrote: “A newspaper from the heart of the revolution and its pulse.”
This newspaper, at least in its first edition, is composed of 16 pages that include photos and news about the revolution, “our dream from north to south, Bekaa, Mount, and Beirut.”
Al-Attar finished his post with an invitation to journalists and people that would like to contribute, saying: “The pages of the newspaper are waiting for your pens and your dreams.”
