Margalit Fox on Ghassan Tuwayni

It is hilarious when you read those folks writing about Arabic press.  I mean, they want to talk about it and analyze it without knowing Arabic.  Look at the obituary of Ghassan Tuwayni (more on him soon) in the New York Times:  "editor in chief of An Nahar (“The Day”), an independent daily newspaper considered the most important in Lebanon."  An-Nahar ceased to be the "most important" newspaper in Lebanon many years ago.  As Edward Said used to say about some people, its future is well behind it.  She even made him an advocate for women's right. I kid you not. This will come as a surprise to everyone in Lebanon.  She then said:  "In the 1970s, with Syrian forces occupying An Nahar’s offices, he published the newspaper from Paris."  Of course, this is all invented and fabricated.  Syrian forces got along well with An-Nahar and had many columnists receiving their orders from Syrian intelligence and the paper never stopped publication from Lebanon.  She is utterly confused because in the late 1970s, An-Nahar published a magazine (An-Nahar Al-`Arabi wa-d-Duwali) from Paris.  Is it my job to correct the anthology of mistakes, errors, and fallacies in the Western press on daily basis?  As for relying on the account of Sami Moubayed, this guy is trying hard to ingratiate himself with what he thinks will be the new rulers of Syria.  He has his own agenda.