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    This Is SMEX: Holding Lebanese Media Accountable

    In partnership with leading online journalists, SMEX combined the factchecking tool CheckDesk and a healthy dose of skepticism in the Taakad campaign, giving Lebanese news outlets an open lesson in social media verification.

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    This Is SMEX: Researching Arab Digital Rights

    We monitor current and emerging legal threats to free expression online and other digital rights under Arab regimes through original research and reporting.

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Our Work

Social Media Exchange (SMEX) is a media advocacy and development organization with more than 20 years’ experience in commercial, development, and postconflict media environments. We address urgent needs in the Arab information society through:

  • Online and offline courses in digital and social media
  • Peer-to-peer learning events
  • Planning and implementation of advocacy campaigns
  • Internet policy and digital rights research
  • Production and localization of how-to manuals and guides

We work closely with donors and partners to design and implement programs that respond to the region, placing a high value on monitoring and evaluation.

Work with SMEX

Our Impact

In seven years, SMEX has directly engaged more than 2,000 participants in our online and offline training programs, learning events, and campaigns. We maintain close ties with our alumni, many of whom are now leaders in their own right. We’ve reached tens of thousands of readers through our open-licensed, Arabic-language guides, web platforms, and social media channels. We’ve also earned media coverage in national, regional, and international press, including Al Jazeera, BBC Arabic, New York Times, LBC, and Radio France.

Get in Touch

Communities We Love

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Creative Commons

Since the beginning, SMEX has licensed all its content, curricula, and photographs for reuse and remixing by the commons. We also co-founded the Lebanon chapter of Creative Commons and have participated in several CC Salons.

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Arab Digital Rights

A key part of our work involves organizing with Arab and international partners to challenge threats to our digital rights. We regularly contribute to the Digital Citizen newsletter and recently collaborated with more than 40 of our peers to issue the first civil society statement at the Arab internet Governance Forum in Beirut.

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Arab Bloggers

A lot of our learning and strength comes from strong relationships with bloggers and technologists across the region developed since the first Arab bloggers meeting in 2008.

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Open Data

Along with Lamba Labs and others, we want to grow the open data communities in Lebanon. Our first foray into this realm is Nouwweb, an open directory of Lebanese MPs. We also maintain OpenLeb, a portal where developers can present their open data projects, and a related OpenLeb Google Group that anyone can join.

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