Assolta Al-Rabe’ah, or The Fourth Estate, is a Lebanese web channel that has been in the works for months. It is the product of the October 17 uprising and will officially launch in the next couple of weeks.
Originally set to launch in February, the “TV of the Revolution” will host a number of programs, including talk shows, that reflect the basic rights and demands that the people of the revolution had set out to vocalize.
Its wide network of programs will tackle social, economic, and political issues that relate to the living conditions in Lebanon, and will be presented at a professional, high-quality level.
The person behind the idea of Assolta Al-Rabe’ah, Matilda Farajallah, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the unique network will have “its own characteristics,” and a set of volunteers who will also work in the field of investigative photo reports.
“The said reports aim to uncover the hidden system of corruption that has ruled Lebanon for many years,” Farajallah said.
Most important of all, Assolta Al-Rabe’ah is neutral and unaffiliated with any of Lebanon’s political parties.
“There are no funding entities, and no specific parties are behind this project,” the media figure affirmed, dismissing the “treacherous accusations” that the upcoming channel has been subjected to since its announcement, as “totally incorrect.”
By using the Internet as its broadcast medium, the web channel especially aims to appeal to the wide Lebanese audience that is active on social media and other online platforms.
Despite being called The Fourth Estate, which refers to the press and news media, the channel does not intend to downplay or replace the traditional TV stations that have sometimes been the “spearhead of the revolution,” as Farajallah puts it.
Instead, “it is a simple and small addition that is in line with the requirements of this time and conveys the reality and daily suffering of the people, no matter how long it lasts,” she explained to Al-Ain.
Assolta Al-Rabe’ah, which at the time of writing occupies the top two trends on Twitter in Lebanon, will launch on July 17th, 2020.