Spin The Picture

How the same picture can mean different things.

Not Just a Picture

So what does the picture above mean to you? The answer is: It depends on where you stand.

The picture of Saad Hariri, leader of the Lebanese parliamentary majority receiving a medal of honor from the French President Jacques Chirac was featured in just about every mainstream newspaper published in Beirut this morning.

But while it was a source of pride to pro-government newspapers like Al-Mustaqbal (Hariri owned) and Annahar, the same picture was used for more malicious ends by opposition media like Al-Akhbar and Assafir. Here's how:

Both newspapers featured the picture in large format, but didn't forget to couple it with reports by Israeli newspapers that Jacques Chirac (yes, the man in the picture) had urged the Israelis to invade Syria and topple its regime while the Lebanon Israel war was still waging back in summer. According to Al-Akhbar, a staunchly pro-Syrian newspaper, Chirac's only reason was: He was angry with Assad.

This is meant to embarrass March14 and label them as pro-western stooges willing to collaborate with foreigners who want to kill innocent Arabs. Expect the row to grow as the majority is not comfortable with such a guilt-by-association position.