Bilal Baqeili
08 August 2019•Update: 08 August 2019
BEIRUT
Daily Star, a Lebanese daily, shocked its readers by refraining from publishing articles and news in its Thursday’s issue, with an aim to protest the “deteriorating” economic and political situation in the country.
The newspaper which is Lebanon's second-oldest, being published in the English-Language, only wrote the word “Lebanon” on its front page with a bold font on a black background.
On the inside pages, the Daily Star listed political, economic and social crises plaguing the country.
The paper also briefly mentioned the crises of waste, pollution, unemployment, illegal weapons, refugees, public debt and the deterioration of the economic and financial situation, with a picture of a cedar tree and a title “Wake up before it is too late” printed on its back page.
“The Daily Star refrained from publishing news articles in its print edition Thursday to take a stance on the deteriorating situation in Lebanon, and called on officials to "wake up" before it is too late,” the daily noted on its website.
“Despite the worsening political, economic, financial and social problems, there is still time to save the country. This requires a collaborative effort from all sides and sacrificing for the good of the country,” it added.
The Daily Star was founded in 1952 by the late Lebanese journalist and publisher Kamel Marwa, and it is not the first Lebanese newspaper to take such a step.
