Marriage...Or just a summer fling?

Two media moguls’ newfound love for each other may have a great impact on shaping Lebanese public opinion.



Gebran Tueini, General Manager of Annahar group, and Saad Hariri, owner of Future T.V. network seem to be getting along very well these days. In recent electoral rallies, they proudly held hands and raised them to sheering Beiruties from Qoraitem to Tarik el Jdideh. They stood next to each other in the billboard’s electoral photograph, they’ve been waxing nice words about each other for the last few weeks, and they seem to be enjoying it. Aren’t they just cute?

This is showing very well in their respective outlets. Annahar’s main page today featured two large images: one of Gebran, one of Saad, both saluting their happy constituencies congratulating them for their elections. The first item on the Future T.V. news bulletin today was an interview with “M.P. Gebran Teuni”, explaining why the “low” turnout is not really a low turnout and disagreeing with Michel Aoun.

How long will the young lovebirds with mustaches last?

Cynics argue that the Hariri-Tueni relationship is nothing but a short-lived electoral alliance. They would say that Gebran Tueni is using Hariri for the Beirut Sunni voters, whereas Hariri is using Tueni to avoid Annahar’s criticism of the election results. In other words, It’s all just a one night stand that has nothing to do with love.

More careful observers will disagree: this relationship has been growing up steadily since Hariri the father was killed.

Annahar has a very strong relationship with Mr. Jumblat, Hariri’s staunchest and most stable political ally. Marwan Hmedeh, who is both Jumblat’s political brother and Gebran Tueni’s uncle, was the person who made it happen. Ali Hmedeh, his brother and a seasoned writer in Annahar is now the host of a widely watched political show on Future T.V.

Annahar and Future T.V are using the same language to describe events, they are focusing on the same stories, and, they are facing the same enemies, namely: General Aoun. Ghassan Tueni’s editorial today was nothing short of a slap in Aoun’s face.

This affair, like most interfaith marriages, is making the public a bit nervous. Future T.V’s core Sunni watchers are surprised to see the schmoozing going on between the Hariri family and the Lebanese forces. Also, a lot of Aounists, who have long been regular Annahar readers, are feeling stabbed in the back and left in the cold.

Lebanon’s media has entered the melting pot. If the rest of the Lebanese follow, then maybe, just maybe, we will live happily ever after..