How can the free press speak louder than disinformation? It’s a question I found myself reflecting on after wrapping up an interview with Hala Nasreddine, head of the investigative unit at Daraj media, Lebanon. I initially contacted Hala to develop a case study on the impact of her years-long work investigating the real causes behind the Lebanese economic crisis—one of the most severe collapses in modern history. Her work, with support from Daraj, was essential to exposing how financial elites systematically enriched themselves at the country’s expense, revealing the network’s mechanisms that fueled the Lebanese downfall. 

Daraj’s reporting contributed to putting former central bank governor Riad Salameh behind bars, costing corrupt figures seats in the parliament, and providing unquestionable evidence highlighting the banks’ responsibility for over $70 billion of vanished public deposits that left ordinary citizens unable to access their savings while the country’s economic and social fabric unraveled.

Today, however, Daraj is facing lawsuits and madia campaigns accusing them of being part of a foreign agenda to destabilize Lebanon. 

In this Q&A we talked about Hala’s years-long reporting on financial corruption, the growing backlash from powerful banking interests, and what it means to defend press freedom in a media landscape vulnerable to disinformation.

Our Conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. 

Q: You’ve worked on some of the most significant investigations into Lebanon’s financial system. Why was this work so important?

Hala Nasreddine: When I joined Daraj in 2020, the economic collapse was already underway, but its root causes were still hidden from the public. We began digging into how financial engineering schemes, especially those benefiting major banks, had generated massive profits for the elite while ordinary citizens lost their savings. Riad Salameh, the central bank governor at the time, had been portrayed for years as a financial genius. He was praised by the media, and was winning international awards but once the collapse hit, it became clear that these illusions were backed by a compromised media system and sustained disinformation.

Our investigations exposed how financial engineering was used not to stabilize the economy, but to cover up losses and enrich a select few. We documented offshore companies, questionable real estate deals, and a network of political and financial figures who shielded each other. What we were uncovering wasn’t just corruption, it was a systematic looting of the country.

Q: Why do you think this campaign has emerged against you and your colleagues now, after years of reporting?

This backlash didn’t come out of nowhere. It’s a reaction to real fear from the people we’ve exposed. After our investigations started triggering legal actions abroad, particularly in European courts, the Lebanese banking elite and their media allies went into damage control. They began targeting us with smear campaigns, lawsuits, and coordinated attacks across TV and print media, trying to frame us as politically motivated or foreign-funded.

It’s no coincidence this campaign intensified with the arrival of a new, reform-oriented government. There’s real fear that serious accountability could finally happen. So now, we’re being painted as part of some agenda to destabilize Lebanon, which is ironic, because those destabilizing it were the very people we’ve reported on.

We’ve seen firsthand how some major outlets served as propaganda arms for banks and politicians. That’s not press freedom; that’s media capture.

Real press freedom isn’t just the right to publish, it’s the ability to hold the powerful accountable without fear. But when journalists are attacked for doing their jobs while misinformation is allowed to flourish under the banner of “freedom,” we have a problem. There must be a clear distinction between journalism that investigates facts and media that distorts truth for profit or power.

Q: Do you feel supported by the Lebanese, despite the campaigns against you?

Absolutely. While some people are influenced by the disinformation, especially from mainstream media with strong outreach among the masses, we’ve also seen incredible support. Many civil society groups have stood by us. Even regular citizens, people who lost everything in the collapse, recognize what’s really happening. They know we’re exposing the truth. The banks may control the airwaves, but they don’t control people’s memories of what they’ve lived through.

Q: What does accountability look like now, after all this work?

We’re not naive about the limits of local justice, but we also know the tide is turning. We’ve come to understand that change might not come through Lebanon’s courts alone. Salameh is no longer untouchable, and that’s in large part because of international and public pressure created by journalism. We continue to investigate in collaboration with global media organizations because people deserve answers. The Lebanese Diaspora has been playing a significant role in bringing those cases to international courts at their countries of residence. Our work has been used by prosecutors in Europe, and that’s pushed some of these cases forward. 

The culture of impunity isn’t gone, but our reporting has forced a level of awareness that wasn’t there before. One of the clearest signs of impact came with the change in leadership at the central bank. We saw an immediate shift in tone. The former acting central bank governor was more cautious, more transparent in how he communicated with the public, and more willing to respond to journalists’ questions. He knew we’re watching. And the current governor knows that as well.

For us, impact isn’t always about a single headline-making arrest. It’s about shifting behavior, raising the cost of corruption, and making it harder for the powerful to act without consequence.

Q: What has this journey meant for you as a journalist?

It changed everything. Covering financial crimes wasn’t my background, but I had to teach myself the language of finance, work with experts, and translate complex systems into stories people could understand. It’s been exhausting and sometimes terrifying. But I believe this is what journalism is for: shedding light on what’s meant to stay hidden. And that means refusing to give up or be silenced, no matter how hard it gets and how loud the campaign against you continues.