LBC Correspondent Tania Mhanna on Reporting from the Front lines

Tania Mhanna

War correspondence is described as the most dangerous job in journalism, but it is a career that Tania Mhanna seems to have taken to heart. In her 20 years as the war correspondent for LBC (Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation), Mhanna has covered conflicts in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, the Philippines, and closer to home, Lebanon. Invited by Outlook, AUB’s student newspaper, the reporter gave a lecture entitled “War Reporting: In the Line of Fire” on February 24 in the Bathish Auditorium.

Mhanna first explained what motivates reporters to cover such dangerous events. She noted that the underlying raison d’etre for her work is, above all, a desire to lessen suffering. In her words, “We do it because we hate wars, not because we like them.” According to Mhanna, knowledge of the local culture is imperative in her line of work, especially when reporting from conservative regions like Peshawar. She also distinguished between two types of war correspondents: “rooftop reporters,” a term she used to describe the reporters who choose a setting with a beautiful view from which to report every half hour, and “credible” war correspondents who are willing to go in on the ground and check the facts for themselves.

Mhanna then recounted anecdotes about her experiences in some of the world’s most dangerous conflict zones. The perils of her work became apparent with stories of escaping near kidnappings in Iraq, conducting a spur-of-the-moment convoy from Jordan to Iraq, and witnessing fellow journalists killed by a landmine.

Following the end of her talk, Mhanna fielded a barrage of questions from the audience. Some questions revolved around the nature of her work, bias in reporting, and journalistic ethics. A mini-debate developed about the difference between Arab and Western media portrayals of violence, especially in incidents like 9/11 and Israel’s recent invasion of Gaza. Still other questions focused on Mhanna’s own neutrality and the objectivity of LBC’s programs. The lecture was the first in a series of lectures planned by Outlook, which will feature notable journalists to be invited in the future.