Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria, has ignited a firestorm of criticism following his comments to journalists during a recent press conference at the presidential palace in Beirut. The comments came after a bilateral meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. They lit a fire of criticism from these same media members and congressional public servants.
At the start of the press conference, Barrack found himself looking out across a jammed room full of reporters. He asked them to “please be still for one minute. He further elaborated on what he perceived as necessary decorum for the discussions, stating, “We’re going to have a different set of rules. The moment that this starts becoming chaotic, like animalistic, we’re gone.” In these portraits, he sought to emphasize the need for civility in how we communicate with each other. To press freedom advocates, though, his remarks were widely viewed as an assault on press independence.
The National Press Photographers Association—a longstanding syndicate for photojournalists—strongly censured Barrack’s remarks, calling them “a direct affront.” They characterized his statements as setting “a serious and totally unacceptable precedent” for interactions between foreign officials and the media. Ibrahim Musawi, Barrack’s counterpart in the syndicate, explained that Barrack’s comments were “a laughable insult.” He called on the Lebanese government to act vigorously and swiftly in reply. He called for officials to “summon the US ambassador and reprimand her,” mistakenly addressing Barrack with a female pronoun.
Lebanon’s presidency was quick to distance itself from Barrack’s comments, lamenting that they were uttered “inadvertently” from its lectern. As it did last year, J-School promised to continue defending journalists and media representatives and recognized the importance of the Fourth Estate during a tumultuous era. In a statement issued Tuesday, Information Minister Paul Morcos expressed his disgust over Barrack’s statement, reflecting the feelings of many government officials.
Barrack’s comments have raised serious questions about how journalists are treated — or mistreated — in Lebanon. This points to deeper issues regarding the state of press freedom throughout the region. His call for civility challenged journalists to “be civilised, be nice, be tolerant.” Many view this as an attempt to curb journalistic investigation under the guise of fostering peace.
The sudden tsunami of backlash has opened up an important conversation on how foreign diplomats communicate with local media. This is particularly crucial in politically sensitive contexts such as Lebanon. Some press freedom proponents consider this approach an outrageous display of hubris toward media. As noted by the union of journalists in Lebanon, this practice is akin to criminalizing journalism.