For Bilal Ghaziyeh, traveling from southern Lebanon to Beirut is nothing like a journalist heading out on a routine assignment. The road itself is part of the danger. Sometimes he changes his route at the last moment; other times, he makes the journey knowing that Israeli strikes leave little room for error. No team accompanies him, and no institution stands behind him to assume responsibility if something happens. He is a freelance journalist, paid according to the stories he produces. Between fuel costs, transportation expenses, equipment, and the possibility of injury, reporting has become a personal financial burden before it is a professional mission.
Ghaziyeh says that everything falls on his shoulders. \u201cIf something happens to me, no one is responsible for me. If my equipment is damaged or broken, I am the one who pays for it.\u201d There is no fixed salary waiting for him at the end of the month, no guarantee that the story he risked his safety for will be purchased or published, and no lasting protection. Even the body armor and helmet he uses were borrowed temporarily from Reporters Without Borders through the Samir Kassir Foundation, and he must eventually return them.
Ghaziyeh\u2019s experience is far from unique. As the war expanded after March 2, 2026, and widespread displacement affected more than 1.1 million people\u2014including over 390,000 children, according to the Lebanese government and humanitarian agencies<\/a>\u2014many journalists found themselves occupying a dual role: reporting on the war while simultaneously living through its consequences. Reports indicate<\/a> that a significant number of Lebanese journalists have themselves become displaced. They have lost not only their homes but also the working environments necessary for producing journalism. This displacement occurred suddenly and without coordination, in the absence of clear emergency response plans. .<\/p>\n\n As military operations intensified, the risks extended beyond displacement and work-related difficulties. Casualties rose rapidly, surpassing 3,151 deaths and approximately 9,571 injuries between March 2 and the afternoon of Sunday, May 24, 2026, according to a report issued by Lebanon\u2019s Ministry of Public Health<\/a>. Journalists were not spared from this escalation. Direct attacks targeted media workers during field coverage. Three Lebanese journalists\u2014Ali Shuaib, Fatima Ftouni, and Mohammad Ftouni\u2014were targeted by the Israeli army on the Jezzine road in southern Lebanon, joining the twelve journalists who had previously been killed during the 2024 conflict. Low Wages, Rising Costs Lebanon\u2019s economic crisis <\/a>did not begin with the war, but the conflict has pushed the cost of journalistic work far beyond what many journalists can afford. Since 2019, Lebanon has been experiencing a financial collapse that has stripped the Lebanese pound of most of its value and dramatically increased living and transportation costs. The war added further burdens, including displacement, rent, fuel, equipment expenses, and more. Journalist Faten Mahmoud explains that most journalists in Lebanon now work under unstable conditions, with no clear rights and no guaranteed monthly income. Many are forced to work with NGOs or foreign media organizations because compensation offered by some local institutions does not match the level of risk involved. She notes that certain outlets may ask a journalist to cover an airstrike or another highly dangerous field event for as little as fifty dollars per report or video. \u201cThat simply does not reflect the magnitude of the risk,\u201d she says. In this context, the pressure extends beyond economics and into the nature of the work itself. Mahmoud explains that the pursuit of an exclusive story creates intense competition among journalists, pushing some to move closer to danger zones in search of unique images or information before their peers. In the absence of protection and guarantees, field risk-taking becomes an almost daily part of the profession, even when financial compensation falls far short of the dangers involved. Mahmoud also points out that war deprives journalists not only of their homes but also of the physical space needed for writing, verification, communication, and content production. The workspace itself becomes a prerequisite for journalism. In 2024, Reporters Without Borders<\/a> noted that journalists in Lebanon had been forced to evacuate homes located in targeted areas, including southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and Beirut\u2019s southern suburbs. As a result, media workers became part of the displacement movement rather than mere observers of it. Displacement is no longer simply a humanitarian backdrop to reporting; it becomes a direct obstacle to journalism itself. Meanwhile, journalists Hassan Marai and Nour Fayyad, both employed by local media organizations, describe a different yet equally demanding reality. They continue covering field developments in southern Lebanon and traveling to dangerous areas, despite receiving salaries that have remained unchanged even as risks and operational costs have increased throughout the war. The two journalists point to a clear gap between local and international media. While some local institutions continue paying low wages despite escalating risks, those working for international media organizations often receive significantly higher compensation. This disparity not only creates a sense of unfairness but also pushes many journalists to work for multiple outlets simultaneously or seek opportunities beyond local media institutions. Marai explains that his workday does not end when a broadcast concludes or a report is submitted. After long hours in the field, another phase begins: writing additional pieces for local platforms and communicating with editors to publish separate reports for limited compensation. Many journalists, he says, have come to rely on such supplementary work simply to cover fuel, transportation, and housing expenses, as local salaries are no longer sufficient. Nour Fayyad describes a similar routine. Her day may begin with live coverage for the organization she works for, followed by writing another report for a different local platform in an effort to generate additional income. Between those assignments, monitoring breaking developments remains a constant responsibility because any new strike could require an immediate return to the road. However, this approach also raises professional and ethical questions for some journalists, particularly given Lebanon\u2019s complex political landscape and the overlapping interests that shape media ownership and funding during wartime. The journalists interviewed for this report say that this reality creates continuous pressure that goes beyond physical danger. It is also driven by fear of losing one\u2019s livelihood. For many journalists, the war has not only increased the cost of field reporting\u2014it has made remaining in the profession itself far more precarious. Housing\u2026 An Open Market for Exploitation<\/strong>A growing number of Lebanese journalists now find themselves among the displaced, caught between documenting the crisis and enduring its consequences firsthand. For many, displacement has meant the loss of stability, workspace, and access to the networks and resources required to continue reporting effectively.