RFI report on Beirut wins 2020 French public media prize for radio journalism

The 2020 French public media prize for radio journalism has been awarded to RFI's Nicolas Falez and Nicolas Benita for their report from the Lebanese capital, titled "Beirut: Hope in short supply". 

Nicolas Falez et Nicolas Benita. © RFI

The report covers the aftermath of the huge explosion at the port of Beirut on 4 August 2020, when a stockpile of around 2,750 tonnes of highly explosive ammonium nitrate ignited, killing more than 200 people and leaving thousands injured or homeless. 

The disaster was the culmination of a string of crises to befall Lebanon, a country already on its knees after the Covid-19 pandemic worsened an already crippling economic crisis and decades of corruption and political deadlock. 

A month after the blast, Omar tells a tale of injury and anger from his apartment in the Achrafieh neighbourhood, which was blown apart. For him, the explosion was symptomatic of the long list of ills inflicted on Lebanon. 

Renée, who lives nearby, seems lost in her apartment which still has shattered windows, but is being repaired by volunteers from the NGO Beitna Beitak ("Our home is your home").

The disaster at the Port of Beirut drove the country even deeper into economic despair. After decades of corruption, negligence and dynasty politics, Alain Bifani knows perfectly well what's behind Lebanon misery – he was the Number 2 at the Ministry of Finance for 20 years.

With nothing on the horizon, many Lebanese are now choosing the path of exile, as Falez and Benita report. 

Find the full report, in French, here.