The Struggling Lebanese Press: Al-Safir Ceasing Publication as Al-Nahar Considers Going Online Only

Al-Safir, one of Lebanon's two biggest newspapers, announced just a week ago that it was considering major cutbacks; yesterday it announced that it is ceasing publication altogether, print and online, on April 1.

Lebanon's other big paper, Al-Nahar, has previously said it might consider going to an online-only version and dropping the print version. The two have been rivals: Christian-owned Al-Nahar, founded by the Tueni family in 1933, was a liberal-centrist paper staunchly opposed to Syrian influence in Lebanon, while Al-Safir, with a leftist orientation, long supported Syria.

The Lebanese media are suffering from Lebanon's economic woes and political paralysis (symbolized by the failure to elect a President or even collect garbage in Beirut), as well as the decline of print journalism worldwide.