Applications for the media component of the National Media Authority have been open since 13 November 2026. The files may be submitted until 8 December, including to the secretariat of the dean of the Lebanese University Information Faculty in Tayoune, during hours of service. This step comes at a time when the two main professional press organizations are still calling for an amendment to the law establishing the regulator.
The contrast does not mean that the procedure is suspended. On 13 November, Aouni Kaaki, president of the press union, and Joseph Kossaifi, president of the editorial union, explained their position: they contest the text, but participate in its application since it came into force. They had taken part, the previous day, in a meeting convened by Souheil Abboud, President of the Higher Council of the Judiciary.
Applied law and changes still required
The two trade union leaders welcome the provision expressed by Georges Adwan, chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Administration and Justice, to examine the proposed amendments. They wish to work with this commission and the Minister of Information, Paul Morcos, to correct the provisions they consider insufficient. However, this openness to dialogue is neither a vote nor a legal change already acquired.
Their participation in the establishment of the Authority is therefore not valid for all the rules. In particular, they hope to strengthen media representation. At this stage, applications are organised within the existing framework, not on the basis of changes desired by trade unions.
Act No. 69 was promulgated on 27 August 2026. It was published in the Official Journal on 3 September and provides for its entry into force as soon as it is published. It is no longer just a parliamentary project. On the other hand, the legal existence of the Authority and the effective appointment of its members remain two different stages.
National Media Authority: Who Selects Members?
Rule 74 provides for ten members. Seven must be directly elected by the bodies designated in the law. The other three are selected by the Council of Ministers from among the proposed candidates. The government therefore does not appoint the whole regulator alone, but retains a role in its final composition.
For the seat reserved for a media expert, the electoral college includes the dean and the directors of the branches of the Lebanese University’s information faculty, as well as the media unions established by law. The election is by an absolute majority. The same bodies also propose two candidates to feed into the procedure leading to the three governmental designations.
This distinction is important: being proposed to the government does not mean having been elected directly to the Authority. Nor can a list of candidates announce a final composition. The Council of Ministers must examine the files submitted to it, choose three members by a two-thirds majority, and then a decree must bring together the elected members and those whom it has appointed. The decree is published in the Official Gazette.
A professional record and guarantees of eligibility
The notice published by the Ministry of Information asks for a written and signed application. It must include a detailed curriculum vitae, a recent personal identification or extract, an official medical certificate and a criminal record of less than three months. A signed declaration must attest to compliance with the eligibility conditions and the absence of incompatibilities or conflicts of interest.
The files are recorded and acknowledged. After the closure, the competent bodies shall verify the conditions and the documents. Interviews may be organised if necessary. The opinion provides for a subsequent announcement of the date and modalities of the election, with due regard for transparency and equality between candidates. He does not announce an election already held.
The law lays down several criteria that go beyond a media career. In particular, candidates must possess Lebanese nationality for more than 10 years and present the required skills and experience. The age limit is 69 years at the time of election or appointment, with an exception raising the limit to 74 years for members of the judiciary.
Independence is not limited to the choice procedure
Article 73 prohibits certain recent links with the economic policy and interests of the sector. Candidates must not have held a political or leadership position in a political party or association during the three years preceding their candidacy. The Act also covers direct or indirect interests in media companies or their suppliers, with an extension of certain restrictions to relatives.
Once elected or appointed, members shall remain subject to the incompatibilities of rule 76. Other public or private activities are prohibited, except for university education. The text excludes, in particular, cumulation with ministerial, parliamentary, partisan or with the management of the economic bodies concerned. These guarantees must apply throughout the term of office, not only when filing the file.
Article 72 grants the Authority legal personality and administrative and financial autonomy. Its members shall not be directed by any other authority, including the bodies that elected or appointed them. The term of office is six years, non-renewable. A special mechanism for half-renewal after three years applies to the first college.
These rules give specific content to the notion of independence. However, their implementation requires checking files, incompatibilities and successive decisions. The immediate deadline for applications for this media component remains 8 December. The vote and final designations remain to come, while trade unions continue to request a revision of the text.
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