Type Daily newspaper Owner(s) SAL | Format Broadsheet Language French | |
Founded 1 September 1970; 46 years ago (1970-09-01) Political alignment Liberalism
Phoenicianism | ||
L'Orient-Le Jour meaning The Orient-The Day is a leading French language daily newspaper in Lebanon.
History
L'Orient-Le Jour was first published on 1 September 1970, following the merger of two French language Lebanese dailies, L'Orient (founded in Beirut in 1924 by Gabriel Khabbaz and Georges Naccache) and Le Jour (founded in 1934 by Michel Chiha). During the Lebanese Civil War the paper was closed down by the occupying Syrian Army in 1976.
The paper covers politics, local and international news, finance and economics, culture, entertainment as well as sports. According to the Arab Press Network, an offshoot of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), it is the only extant Francophone newspaper in Lebanon and is "partisan to a liberal, Christian leaning line." It is further claimed by the journalism network of the European Union that the paper is the most liberal daily published in the Arab world.