August 27, 2025 | 06:45 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - U.S. Special Envoy Thomas Barrack triggered anger on Tuesday after disparaging Lebanese journalists and urging them to "act civilized" and avoid behaving "like animals" during a press conference at the presidential palace. This immediately drew condemnation from media workers' unions and the presidency, as reported by Arab News.
During a press conference at Baabda Palace following his meeting with President Michel Aoun, Barack, who is of Lebanese descent, scolded the journalists for shouting questions at once. He asked the journalists to "be quiet for a while" before suddenly saying, "The moment this starts becoming chaotic, like animalistic, we’re gone."
He added, "Act civilized, act kind, act tolerant, because this is the problem with what’s happening in the region."
Barrack's statement linking journalists' behavior to broader issues in the Middle East drew strong criticism from journalists and media workers' unions. They described his comments as "embarrassing" and "racist."
The press conference was held in Beirut to brief the media on Washington's efforts as a representative of Israel to disarm Hezbollah. This is part of a larger effort to ease tensions along Lebanon's southern border.
Despite calls for clarification, Barrack, accompanied by Deputy Envoy Morgan Ortagus, refused to apologize after the press conference.
In response, the Lebanese Presidency issued a statement expressing that they "deeply regrets the remark made inadvertently from its podium by one of its guests," without mentioning Barrack by name, who is also the US Ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria, as reported by Al Jazeera.
They also reiterated "utmost respect for human dignity in general," while expressing appreciation to all journalists and media correspondents for their national efforts and roles in covering the developments in the country.
The Lebanese Press Editors' Syndicate issued a statement demanding an apology from the U.S. envoy.
"The union considers Barrack’s comments against journalists not as a mere slip of the tongue or an individual stance, but rather as a reflection of an unacceptable superiority in dealing with the media and an implicit disdain for the essence of journalistic work," said the media workers' union in a statement.
"Furthermore, the content of his remarks reflects ingrained colonial arrogance towards the peoples of the region and constitutes a blatant violation of basic diplomatic etiquette and the values that diplomacy should represent – chief among them respect for press freedom and the people’s right to knowledge."
Condemning what they described as "beyond the pale of decency and diplomacy," the union threatened to urge the media to boycott Barack's remaining visits to Lebanon if an apology is not issued.
They called Barrack's statement "absolutely unacceptable and highly reprehensible," adding that "what’s even more unfortunate is that it came from an envoy of a major power."
The U.S. State Department has not responded to requests for comment.
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