An-Nahar Lebanon: Journalism Reinvention & Soul

Gebrran Andraos Have founded An-Nahar, Lebanon’s paper of record, in 1933 – with capital raised amongst friends. The newspaper remained in the family even after the assassination, in 2005, of Tueni’s grandson who bore the same name. He was publisher of An-Nahar at the time. Nayla Tueni was 23.

“Many thought An-Nahar would collapse. Instead, we turned grief into responsibility and pain into transformation. Since that day, I have led An-Nahar through censorship, economic collapse and political upheaval, and I did it as a woman – in a region where women are often told to wait their turn.”

Tueni didn’t just not wait – with her team, she transformed An Nahar from a newspaper into a “viewspaper,” she told participants at WAN-IFRA’s 76th Congress in Krakow.

“An-Nahar is no longer just a Lebanese brand, it’s a pan-Arab leader serving the diverse Arab agencies across the region. We’re a multimedia voice and a force for independent journalism. Our transformation went deep; we didn’t just add new formats – we built the entire ecosystem,” enthuses Tueni.

What they did

• Created a dynamic, open newsroom: “Editors, writers, video producers, designers, podcasters and data analysts now work side by side, developing stories, and explainers; building podcast and vertical video – all working together to deliver unified, meaningful experiences.”
• Integrated AI data analytics and audience insights: “Not to replace journalists – but to feed them.”
• Use AI to accelerate verification, enhance multilingual storytelling and surface new patterns.
• Use data to understand our audiences. “But always, we follow one rule: Human first. The tools serve the mission. The mission serves the people.”
• Focused on how to engage young audiences. “We shifted tone, format and speed. We leaned into social media – not just as a traffic driver, but as a space for presence. And we didn’t just transform the insight. We transformed the experience. We imagined the user journey, improving discovery, interaction and engagement across mobile, desktop and social.”
• Invested in depth and credibility. “We produce special editions and in depth investigations on the most pressing political, social and cultural issues, helping leaders make sense of complexity and get the full picture.”
• Impact: We’ve launched award winning campaigns that have pressured politicians to form a government, to elect the president and spark national conversation on freedom of speech, women’s rights, cultural identity and Youth Futures.

The next frontier

• Digitising their archive: Transforming decades of Lebanon and Arab history into a living, accessible resource for researchers, students and creators.
• Launching a research centre to focus on Arab media trends, disinformation and the future of journalism.
• Opened a training academy to empower young Arab journalists, digital creators and fact checkers
• Coming next: An-Nahar News Café: “A space where journalism meets community, where dialogue, debate and connection come alive. “
• Reshaping the business of media: “We’re developing branded storytelling, educational offerings, regional collaboration, subscription and membership models and digital innovations – because we believe audiences are ready to invest in the journalism they trust for us. The models are not about paywalls; they are about building a sustainable future where independent, courageous journalism can thrive.

This, reckons Tueni, is the newsroom of the future: “Led by values, powered by technology, shaped by human connection and open to the world.”