44

France Médias Monde established

its regional hub in Beirut

A fully digital newsroom to enhance France 24

and Monte Carlo Doualiya’s arabic offerings

Since February 27, 2025, France Médias Monde has established a new

hub near Beirut, Lebanon. Situated in the heart of the Near and Middle

East, this initiative complements existing newsrooms in Africa, Latin

America, and Central and Eastern Europe. Through a localised ap-

proach, it aims to foster audience trust by delivering news in their native

languages. The Beirut-based team enhances the digital production ca-

pabilities of France 24’s Arabic editorial team and Monte Carlo Doualiya

(MCD), creating content for both media outlets’ websites and social me-

dia platforms.

AN EDITORIAL TEAM AT THE CORE OF THE NEAR AND MIDDLE

EAST

A team of approximately 15 Arabic-speaking journalists from across the re-

gion (Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Morocco, and beyond) has been recruited

for this digital newsroom. They are supported by specialists in digital tech-

nologies, including SEO and infographics. Joumana Fehmi, a seasoned jour-

nalist with experience at MTV Lebanon, Alrai TV Koweit, Future TV, and Info3

News, has been appointed editor-in-chief and operational director.

Operating under the local subsidiary ‘France Médias Monde Orient,’ the

team collaborates closely with France 24 and MCD newsrooms at France

Médias Monde headquarters, ensuring strong editorial alignment between

Paris and Beirut. Additionally, they benef it from the expertise of all France

Médias Monde editorial divisions (RFI, France 24, MCD). All journalists re-

cruited in Beirut in late 2024 underwent a two-month training programme

with the France Médias Monde Academy, receiving guidance from experts

in editorial, digital, technical, and security f ields.

A STRATEGY OF GEOGRAPHICAL AND LINGUISTIC PROXIMITY

The Beirut regional hub is a key element of France Médias Monde’s strategy

to cultivate public trust by maintaining geographic and linguistic proximity to

its audiences. Lebanon was chosen for this digital newsroom due to France

Médias Monde’s longstanding presence in the country — a Francophone

nation where RFI, France 24, and MCD extensively cover political, economic,

social, and cultural news through on-site correspondents in French, English,

and Arabic.