From The Heart / When obituaries are distributed live
Stars : May Serbey Chehab
عندما توزع أوراق النعوة على الهواء مباشرة

When obituaries are distributed live

As I was flipping through the TV channels in Lebanon, I heard someone claiming to know the unseen reading a long list of names predicted to die, and confirming that the new year would not pass without these names having died. He also did what he called summoning spirits on live television.

I really don't know what the point of hosting someone who just distributes obituaries to celebrities live on air.

I wonder what the position of one of these characters would be if he was struggling with an illness? Such rumors, despite their untruth, would affect their psychology, destroy their morale, and cause them sadness.

I don't know if we have reached an era where television is open to anyone, to say anything, and the primary goal is to excite and attract viewers and advertisers, forgetting all the principles and etiquette of the media.

Is this the media? Is this their role? Has the role of the media, which is supposed to tell the truth, convey information and advance the intellectual and cultural stock of the viewer, become to distribute obituary papers to people in front of the public?

I may not be surprised by what we have reached today on the media level, as we are living in a period that we can call a setback on all levels. I hope that we will emerge from it one day, shaking off the dust of backwardness and regression so that the golden age of the media can return, and so that it can live its role in a refined and noble manner.