Marking 10th Anniversary of February Revolution, Lana launches its new website in presence of Head of Libyan Media Corporation, Mr. Mohamed Omar Ba'ayo, and media professionals and journalists.

Tripoli, 16 February 2021 (Lana) - On the occasion of the celebrations of the 10th anniversary of February Revolution, in the presence of the head of the Libyan Media Corporation, Mohamed Ba'ayo, directors of satellite and radio channels, media outlets, directors and veteran journalists and agency staff, the Libyan News Agency launched Tuesday, 16th February, its new website, with its new look that is consistent with the technical development in force in international news agencies.

 The launch of this new website, which will enable correspondents, reporters and editors of the agency, to communicate, interact, transmit and broadcast news from the venue of the event in any region at home and abroad, as part of the development process that the agency is currently witnessing under the direct supervision and follow-up of the Libyan Media Corporation.

Through the development plan, the agency's management was keen to create a suitable climate for journalism and to provide all the devices that support its journalists, such as computers and mobile phones, and link them through a communications network to keep pace with the media development, and to match international news agencies in the editorial formulation of news and the speed of reporting events and their transmission in Arabic, English and French with all credibility, professionalism and skills.

Lana has recently witnessed a rapid maintenance of its headquarters in the capital, Tripoli, with its departments and divisions, and equipping them with all capabilities, to provide comfort for journalists to perform their assigned work. It also provided advanced communication tools to match developments taking place at global news agencies.

The Libyan News Agency is characterized by the spread of its correspondents in most of the cities, regions and municipalities of Libya, and it has foreign offices that are currently inactive due to neglect and lack of support. Nevertheless, Lana has the potential to follow up events and developments at home and abroad and publish such news coverage in several languages used by the agency.

Director General of the Libyan News Agency, Abdel Basit Abu Dayya, stressed that the administration seeks to develop the agency and to modernize it technically to keep pace with the development witnessed by international news agencies, especially that the agency is considered " A house of expertise" with long history of journalism during which it has proven its presence and professionalism in all media forums, since its inception.

‘We have to keep pace with the technical development witnessed by media outlets, otherwise we will remain behind, no matter what professional and technical capabilities in our possession’ he added.

 Abu Dayya explained that the agency has gone through difficult financial and technical conditions and has been absent from the media scene for reasons that the whole country has gone through and are well known, although, it has been in the media leadership and a major source for local and international media, attributing the reason for the absence of the agency from the media scene in the past years to a little support, lack of financial and technical capabilities, negligence by the relevant authorities, in addition to the suspension of subscriptions with international news agencies, as well as non-payment of financial contributions to its membership of federations and regional and international organizations and unions.

Abu Dayya expressed his optimism about the existence of the Media Corporation that takes care of the affairs of media professionals and media institutions, and is led by a cadre of journalists and media professionals who realize the importance of the agency and its role as an official news agency in covering local and international events, developments and activities.

 For her part, the Agency’s Deputy Director General, Ms. Lubna Younis, confirmed that on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the 17th of February Revolution, the agency launched its new website in a new shape, so that journalists could follow up and send the news to the main center, and that the supervisors and editors could process and broadcast the news.

"The agency has worked to provide smart phones and computers for journalists to keep pace with this development, and to be able to follow up events and broadcast news in real time," said Lubna Younis.

Younis expressed her thanks and appreciation for the efforts made by the head of the Libyan Media Corporation, Mr. Mohamed Omar Ba'ayo, and for his support for the agency to rise and take its rightful media position among international news agencies.

 ‘During the past three months, we have moved from working in the traditional way based on issuing news from the system, to technical use and reliance on the agency's new website, which took into account the speed in conveying the news and the ease of communication between editors, and between the reporters and the photographers at event sites, whether In the country or abroad, and the supervisor at the agency's headquarters’ She added.

 She went on to say, ‘We were keen for the journalists within the agency to have all the technical means that facilitate their work without any difficulties, and we provided them with a suitable environment in which journalists work with ease. We also organized courses on journalistic editing, drafting news and broadcasting it through the agency's website, pointing out that these courses are continuing to keep pace with the development witnessed by international news agencies.

‘We conducted maintenance work at the building with its departments and divisions, as well as addressing all walls from moisture, this is all for a small amount in order to preserve public money.’

For his part, the Director of the Technical Department, Eng. Abdul Karim Mansour, explained that the agency needed to update its news system, as it had been in use since 1997 with a worn out traditional editorial system that was not in line with the requirements of the technical age.

 ‘In the beginning we faced many difficulties in dealing and keeping up with this technical leap, however, we have managed to rise up to the challenge in a short period through intensive courses for workers’ he added.

Engineer Abdel Karim praised the technical development that the agency witnessed through writing the news, broadcasting it and distributing it on the internet, enabling the journalists to publish the news with less time and effort. On this occasion, a celebration was held Tuesday at the agency’s headquarters in Tripoli, attended by the head of the Libyan Media Corporation, Mr. Mohamed Omar Ba'ayo, directors of satellite and audio channels, and a number of media professionals and journalists.

On the 16th of January, the head of the Libyan Media Corporation, Mr. Mohamed Ba'ayo, praised the efforts made by the staff of the Libyan News Agency with its departments, divisions be they editing, technical or managerial. He stressed that the Corporation would offer all support it could to the agency.

In a letter of thanks to the administration of the agency, following his visit to Lana HQs, the head of the Corporation said; ‘I hail and thank you and through you Lana’s devouted staff, for all your sincere efforts for our national and ancient new agency, which is the home and school of Libyan journalists and a basic symbol of the Libyan national state.

In his letter, 'Ba'ayo'  stressed that what he personally learned of the hard work and efforts of all colleagues in the agency; “A matter that calls for pride,” and that “any support for the agency will bear - with the Grace of Allah - fruit, success and progress.

=Lana=