Naqd Media is a relatively new voice in the Lebanese media landscape. Founded in Beirut just three years ago, shortly after the devastating Beirut explosion, Naqd operates on a hybrid model – part marketing agency, part news outlet – each fueling the other.

This dual role as a marketing agency not only sustains Naqd Media financially but also influences how they tell stories spotlighting the struggles faced by people in Lebanon and the broader region, covering issues like poverty, corruption, and human rights violations. Their work with changemakers and organisations exposes them to diverse storytelling techniques and creative strategies, allowing Naqd to experiment with innovative formats like infographics, short videos, and guerrilla marketing or activation campaigns.

Naqd Media represents a departure from traditional Lebanese media. With an average team age of 25 to 27, their focus is on connecting with a younger audience, primarily those aged 18 to 35, who are curious and engaged but often overwhelmed by the complexity of issues in the Middle East. This versatility in approach is mirrored in the youthful makeup of their team, which helps them stay connected to the audience they aim to reach. As its co-founder and CEO, Antoni Barakat explains, this audience seeks facts, but they need them delivered in a digestible, time-efficient format. Enter memes, short videos, and digital tools that bridge the gap between online and real-world engagement.

We realised early on that to reach younger audiences, we had to speak their language
co-founder and CEO of Naqd Media Antoni Barakat

“Memes, humour, and creative campaigns allow us to make important topics more accessible. The key is balance – while humour draws people in, our content remains fact-based and investigative.”

A key driver of Naqd Media’s success is the dedication of their volunteers, who make up most of the team. These volunteers come from diverse backgrounds and bring various skills – from content creation to social media management and field reporting. Their passion for Naqd Media’s mission enables the outlet to produce impactful journalism despite the challenging media environment in Lebanon.

One of Naqd Media’s distinguishing features is how they actively involve their audience in journalism – whether through interactive projects or soliciting help directly from their readers.

Barakat shared three key projects that highlight the power of audience engagement.

Preserving memory: Beirut explosion documentation

On August 4, 2022, Lebanon marked the second anniversary of the Beirut explosion, which killed hundreds, injured thousands, and left 300,000 people homeless. By 2022, many buildings in the city had been restored, their walls painted bright, masking the destruction. But as Barakat notes, while the government had worked hard to hide any traces of the explosion and their responsibility, behind those walls, the trauma remained. Families were scattered, children had died, and justice had yet to be served.

In 2022, Naqd Media launched “Project 232” to demand justice. The initiative stamped black signs with QR codes on buildings directly impacted by the explosion, linking passersby to an online archive of the devastation behind the restored facades. The signs bore the message, “We restored, but that doesn’t mean we forgot.” The QR codes revealed images, videos, and audio recordings of how the respective buildings looked at the time of the explosion, along with the names, photos, and stories of those who perished at each location.

The campaign went viral on Instagram, Naqd Media’s main platform and made headlines of national and regional media, while turning Beirut into a living museum. Despite its low cost, the project garnered significant attention and even won a Muse Creative Award in 2023.

Link to the campaign

When Naqd Media was founded shortly after the Beirut explosion, its goal was to break away from traditional media and offer something new, bold, and unapologetic.

“Starting Naqd was a leap of faith, especially in such an unstable region. Over time, we built credibility by staying consistent, delivering impactful investigative journalism, and connecting with our audience through content that feels relatable and authentic. Trust came as we showed we were dedicated to our mission,” Barakat says.

What would our politicians’ Google search history look like?

Naqd Media often uses humour to tackle serious issues like political corruption or lack of transparency. While they stick to the facts, they use engaging formats to appeal to their digital-savvy audience.

One of their most creative campaigns was the “Google Search History” concept. At the end of 2023, Naqd Media sought to reflect on the past year’s political developments from the perspective of Lebanon’s politicians. They imagined the search histories of these figures based on their actions, with queries like “How to hide offshore accounts” or “Best ways to delay infrastructure projects.”

An example of the “Google Search History” campaign, featuring Suleiman Frangieh, a presidential candidate in Lebanon, who has only one member in his parliamentary bloc (his son). It’s widely known that he barely completed the 9th grade, which explains the joke about his struggles with writing and the typos (courtesy of Naqd Media)

“Each search was tied to real events or scandals,” explains Barakat. “It gave our audience a witty yet informative snapshot of a politician’s behaviour, making heavy political content more relatable and shareable while staying rooted in facts.”

Link to campaign

Empowering the audience to take action

Continuing their audience-centric approach, Naqd Media’s most recent project is an investigative documentary on child trafficking and organised beggary in Lebanon, which premiered this September. Even with this sensitive topic, Naqd found a way to involve their audience. They issued a call to action, inviting followers to share any information they had and to pressure authorities by sending emails.

The response to their call to action was significant, Barakat notes. They received hundreds of messages from individuals willing to share information, personal stories, and tips related to child trafficking and organised beggary in Lebanon. Additionally, many people took part in the campaign to pressure authorities, with dozens of emails sent to key decision-makers, including MPs and relevant organisations.

“This campaign sparked real conversations. It showed that when people are given the tools to engage, they will,” says Barakat. “This collective effort not only helped in raising awareness but also demonstrated the power of community engagement in driving social change.”

Link to documentary

Source of the cover photo: courtesy of Naqd Media

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