Lebanese news crew assaulted in Beirut while covering Israeli strike

Lebanese news crew assaulted in Beirut while covering Israeli strike
MTV crew were attacked after Israel bombed south Beirut suburb. (AFP/File)
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Updated 31 July 2024
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Lebanese news crew assaulted in Beirut while covering Israeli strike

Lebanese news crew assaulted in Beirut while covering Israeli strike
  • MTV reporter Nawal Berry and cameraman Dany Tanios were assaulted by four men as they approached the strike's site in Haret Hreik
  • The two journalists' equipment were destroyed, and they were denied coverage

BEIRUT: A news crew from MTV Lebanon was attacked on Tuesday evening while attempting to cover the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike on a south Beirut suburb.

As journalist Nawal Berry and cameraman Dany Tanios approached the site of the strike in Beirut, they were assaulted by four unidentified men, who broke their equipment, including the camera.

On July 30, Israel claimed its airstrike on Haret Hreik killed Hezbollah’s top military commander, Fuad Shukr.

The strike, the Israeli military said, was in retaliation for a rocket attack that killed 12 children in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

The raid on Haret Hreik targeted a residential building, according to local media, killing at least three people, wounding 74 others, and causing significant damage.

“Until now, I have no clue if there were civilian casualties,” Berry said in a televised interview last night.

She told MTV presenter Ralph Doumit that while “our main concern was to find out whether there were civilian deaths and casualties,” they now felt a responsibility to condemn the attack on journalists.

“We got attacked and humiliated,” she said, adding that “as a journalist, it is my responsibility to speak out against this assault on media workers.

“If I passively go home and stay silent, it means I’m accepting that any journalist can be attacked while doing their job.”

Recounting the events, Berry said that she and her colleague quickly made their way to the site of the airstrike since “there wasn’t enough information from the scene — we couldn’t confirm if there were any casualties, but the damage seemed significant.”

She explained that her team had heard that Israel was likely to strike Hezbollah’s stronghold in Beirut in retaliation for a rocket attack on a football field in the Israel-controlled Golan Heights.

Israel accused Hezbollah of deliberately targeting civilians in Majdal Shams on July 28, two days before the strike on Haret Hreik. The Lebanese militant group quickly denied any responsibility for the attack, the AP news agency reported.

“My colleague Dany and I were prepared (to cover the anticipated strike) in Beirut, and we arrived (in southern Beirut) two hours before it happened,” Berry said.

“When it happened, we rushed to the site to see if there were any citizens or casualties — we went there to cover the events.”

As the two journalists drew closer to the site, and after they got permission from a few men who seemed to be guarding the road, four men surrounded them and struck Tanios, who was carrying the MTV camera.

“I rushed to Dany’s aid,” Berry said. “I argued with one of them that I was only doing my job and needed to get closer to the scene, when a man who was about two meters tall slapped me across the face.”

The MTV reporter was shocked that the attackers would hit a woman.

“You might argue there is no difference between a man and a woman while on the field, but this is the first time someone has physically assaulted me,” she said.

“I can’t accept that there is someone who would hit a woman, this never happened to me before,” she said. “I got slapped and smacked, and there was a man on a motorcycle who hit me on my side.”

She described the incident as the result of the “insanity of a few young men.”

Stressing that she was not implying the incident occurred because “some people think MTV is anti-Dahyeh (Beirut’s southern suburbs).”

“We covered the war in South Lebanon from day one with complete transparency and impartiality,” she said. “At no point were we anything but neutral.”

Since Oct. 8, after Israel launched its military assault on Palestine’s Gaza Strip in retaliation for a deadly Hamas attack, the Israeli military has been exchanging strikes with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Tanios, who said he was in good health, said during the same interview that when a few men saw the MTV logo on his camera, they attacked him and his colleague.

“They asked what we were covering, and I told them we’re here to cover the event that took place here,” he recounted. “I told them we’re your siblings; we’re here to support you, we’re not against you.

“One of them first punched me in the head then kicked me. He then began punching me again.”  

Slamming the attackers, Berry told her host that if a few people “have a problem with MTV,” the journalists working for the channel should not pay the price.

This is not the first time Berry and her team have been assaulted by Hezbollah loyalists. During the early days of the Oct. 17 revolution in 2019, she and her team faced a violent attack and had their camera smashed.

Supporters of the militant group Hezbollah have a history of assaulting and threatening journalists. Targets have included Layal Alekhtiar, who received death threats in 2021 and faced legal action last year for interviewing an Israeli spokesperson; Dima Sadek, who was harassed and threatened after her phone was stolen during a protest in 2022; and Ali Al-Amin, who was hospitalized following an assault in 2018.


Russia deliberately hit journalists’ hotels in Ukraine: NGOs

Russia deliberately hit journalists’ hotels in Ukraine: NGOs
Updated 16 May 2025
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Russia deliberately hit journalists’ hotels in Ukraine: NGOs

Russia deliberately hit journalists’ hotels in Ukraine: NGOs
  • The hotels hit were mostly located near the front lines, the organizations said
  • At least 15 of the strikes were carried out with high-precision Iskander 9K720 missiles

PARIS: Russia has deliberately targeted hotels used by journalists covering its war on Ukraine, the NGOs Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Truth Hounds said on Friday, calling the strikes “war crimes.”
At least 31 Russian strikes hit 25 hotels from the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 to mid-March 2025, the two organizations said in a report.
One attack in August 2024 in the eastern city of Kramatorsk killed a safety adviser working with international news agency Reuters, Ryan Evans.
The hotels hit were mostly located near the front lines, the organizations said.
Just one was being used for military purposes.
“The others housed civilians, including journalists,” said RSF and Truth Hounds, a Ukrainian organization founded to document war crimes in the country.
“In total, 25 journalists and media professionals have found themselves under these hotel bombings, and at least seven have been injured,” they said.
At least 15 of the strikes were carried out with high-precision Iskander 9K720 missiles, they said, condemning “methodical and coordinated targeting.”
“The Russian strikes against hotels hosting journalists in Ukraine are neither accidental nor random,” Pauline Maufrais, RSF regional officer for Ukraine, said in a statement.
“These attacks are part of a larger strategy to sow terror and seek to reduce coverage of the war. By targeting civilian infrastructure, they violate international humanitarian law and constitute war crimes.”
RSF says 13 journalists have been killed covering Russia’s invasion, 12 of them on Ukrainian territory.
That includes AFP video journalist Arman Soldin, who was killed in a rocket attack near the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakmut on May 9, 2023. He was 32.


Omnicom Media Group consolidates influencer marketing services in Mideast

Omnicom Media Group consolidates influencer marketing services in Mideast
Updated 15 May 2025
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Omnicom Media Group consolidates influencer marketing services in Mideast

Omnicom Media Group consolidates influencer marketing services in Mideast

DUBAI: Omnicom Media Group has announced that it will consolidate its influencer marketing capabilities in the Middle East and North Africa region under influencer management agency Creo following a global directive last month.

The move “ensures our clients can harness the full potential of this communication channel” as digital consumption grows in the region and influencers play an “instrumental role in shaping brand perceptions,” said CEO Elda Choucair.

Creo will give the group’s clients “access to the same advanced tools, talent and technology we’ve developed globally, but adapted to our region’s unique landscape,” she added.

These include tools such as the Creo Influencer Agent, an AI-powered influencer selection tool; the Omni Creator Performance Predictor, which uses machine learning to predict the performance of content on Instagram; and the Creator Briefing Tool, which helps influencers create and get feedback on their content through Google’s AI chatbot Gemini.

The agency will also leverage exclusive partnerships with platforms such as Amazon, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat in the region.

Anthony Nghayoui, head of social and influencer at Omnicom Media Group, has been appointed to lead Creo.


Aramco holds steady on Kantar’s most-valuable global brands list for 2025

Aramco holds steady on Kantar’s most-valuable global brands list for 2025
Updated 15 May 2025
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Aramco holds steady on Kantar’s most-valuable global brands list for 2025

Aramco holds steady on Kantar’s most-valuable global brands list for 2025
  • US brands dominate, comprising 82 percent of the value in top 100

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s Aramco continues to hold a place in the annual BrandZ Most Valuable Global Brands Report 2025 by marketing data and analytics company Kantar.

Although it dropped by eight places to No. 22, Aramco is the only brand from the Middle East to have a presence in the global ranking.

US brands dominate the list, comprising 82 percent of the total value of the top 100 brands.

However, the report signals changing times, with Chinese brands having doubled their value over the past 20 years, now making up 6 percent of the value of the top 100 brands.

European brands, on the other hand, have seen a decline. They now account for 7 percent — down from 26 percent in 2006 — of the top 100 brands.

The top five spots are taken by tech companies Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Nvidia.

“Innovators keeping up with consumer needs or redefining them entirely are the brands fundamentally reshaping the Global Top 100 over the past two decades,” said Martin Guerrieria, head of Kantar BrandZ.

The most successful brands, like Apple, Amazon, Google and Microsoft, have long moved away from their original product base, he added.

Apple retained its top position for the fourth year in a row with a brand value of $1.3 trillion, up 28 percent from 2024.

Google and Microsoft recorded a 25 percent and 24 percent increase in brand value this year compared to last year, while Amazon’s brand value rose by a massive 50 percent.

ChatGPT debuted on the list this year in 60th place, showing “how a brand can find fame and influence society to the extent that it changes our daily lives,” Guerrieria said.

He cautioned that as competition grows in the AI space, “OpenAI will need to invest in its brand to preserve its first-mover momentum.”

Despite controversies and concerns, Instagram and Meta saw significant growths of 101 percent and 80 percent, respectively, while TikTok grew by a modest 25 percent.

The success of brands like Apple and Instagram “underlines the power of a consistent brand experience that people can relate to and remember,” said Guerrieria.

He added: “In a world of digital saturation and tough consumer expectations, brands need to meet people’s needs, connect with them emotionally and offer something others don’t to succeed. They need to be not just different, but meaningfully so.”


UK to allow foreign states to own a 15 percent stake in newspapers

UK to allow foreign states to own a 15 percent stake in newspapers
Updated 15 May 2025
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UK to allow foreign states to own a 15 percent stake in newspapers

UK to allow foreign states to own a 15 percent stake in newspapers
  • Proposed media reforms could resolve the long-standing uncertainty surrounding the ownership of the Telegraph newspaper
  • In 2023, Abu Dhabi-backed RedBird IMI assumed control of the Telegraph titles and The Spectator by helping repay the Barclay family’s £1.2 billion debt

LONDON: Britain plans to allow foreign state-owned investors to own up to 15 percent of British newspaper publishers, the government said on Thursday, as part of media reforms that could end long-running uncertainty over ownership of the Telegraph newspaper.
The government will also expand its powers to scrutinize media mergers to include news websites and news magazines.
“These important, modernizing reforms are about protecting media plurality and reflect the changing ways in which people are consuming news,” Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said.
“We are fully upholding the need to safeguard our news media from foreign state control whilst recognizing that news organizations must be able to raise vital funding.”
The ownership of the Telegraph, one of Britain’s best known newspapers, has raised questions about the independence of the media and foreign states buying political influence.
The government said “targeted exceptions” allowing certain sovereign wealth funds or pension funds to invest up to 15 percent in British newspaper and periodicals would help sustain the titles while also limiting any foreign influence in media.
The government does not plan to exempt debt financing, but warned that if a foreign power gains control through a default, it could trigger a ministerial intervention under existing rules.
Britain’s previous Conservative government last year banned foreign state investment in British newspapers, blocking RedBird IMI, run by former CNN boss Jeff Zucker and with the majority of its funding from Abu Dhabi, from owning the Telegraph.
Abu Dhabi-backed RedBird IMI took control of the Telegraph titles and the Spectator magazine in 2023 when it helped repay the Barclay family’s 1.2 billion pound ($1.6 billion) debt to Lloyds Bank.
It put the titles up for sale nearly a year ago. The Spectator was sold to hedge fund founder Paul Marshall in September, but the Telegraph has not found a buyer.
The 15 percent cap would allow Abu Dhabi to retain some ownership of the paper.


Israel’s presence still roils Eurovision a year after major protests over the war in Gaza

Israel’s presence still roils Eurovision a year after major protests over the war in Gaza
Updated 15 May 2025
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Israel’s presence still roils Eurovision a year after major protests over the war in Gaza

Israel’s presence still roils Eurovision a year after major protests over the war in Gaza
  • About 200 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched Wednesday in the Swiss host city of Basel
  • Oddsmakers suggest Raphael is likely to secure a place in Saturday’s final with her song “New Day Will Rise”

BASEL: Most contestants at the Eurovision Song Contest are seeking as much publicity as possible.
Israel’s Yuval Raphael is keeping a low profile.
The 24-year-old singer has done few media interviews or appearances during Eurovision week, as Israel’s participation in the pan-continental pop music competition draws protests for a second year.
Raphael is due to perform Thursday in the second semifinal at the contest in the Swiss city of Basel. Oddsmakers suggest Raphael is likely to secure a place in Saturday’s final with her anthemic song “New Day Will Rise.”
Israel has competed in Eurovision for more than 50 years and won four times. But last year’s event in Sweden drew large demonstrations calling for Israel to be kicked out of the contest over its conduct in the war against Hamas in Gaza.
More than 52,800 people in Gaza have been killed in Israel’s military offensive, according to the territory’s health ministry.
About 200 people, many draped in Palestinian flags, protested in central Basel on Wednesday evening, demanding an end to Israel’s military offensive and the country’s expulsion from Eurovision. They marched in silence down a street noisy with music and Eurovision revelry.
Many noted that Russia was banned from Eurovision after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
“It should be a happy occasion that Eurovision is finally in Switzerland, but it’s not,” said Lea Kobler, from Zurich. “How can we rightfully exclude Russia but we’re still welcoming Israel?”
Last year, Israeli competitor Eden Golan received boos when she performed live at Eurovision. Raphael told the BBC that she expects the same and has rehearsed with background noise so she won’t be distracted.
“But we are here to sing and I’m going to sing my heart out for everyone,” she said.
Anti-Israel protests in Basel have been much smaller than last year in Malmo. Another protest is planned for Saturday in downtown Basel, 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the contest venue, St. Jakobshalle arena.
But concern by some Eurovision participants and broadcasters continues.
More than 70 former Eurovision contestants signed a letter calling for Israel to be excluded. Several of the national broadcasters that fund Eurovision, including those of Spain, Ireland and Iceland, have called for a discussion about Israel’s participation.
Swiss singer Nemo, who brought the competition to Switzerland by winning last year, told HuffPost UK that “Israel’s actions are fundamentally at odds with the values that Eurovision claims to uphold — peace, unity, and respect for human rights.”
At Wednesday’s protest, Basel resident Domenica Ott held a handmade sign saying “Nemo was right.”
She said the nonbinary singer was “very courageous.”
“If Russia couldn’t participate, why should Israel?” she said.
The European Broadcasting Union, which runs Eurovision, pointed out that Israel is represented by its public broadcaster, KAN, not the government. It has called on participants to respect Eurovision’s values of “universality, diversity, equality and inclusivity” and its political neutrality.