In praise of Elham Freiha shutting down Dar Assayad.

Artwork by Tarek Chemaly based on the "Samar" logo - a publication by Dar Assayad

Elham Freiha, late Said Freiha's daughter, has my utmost respect. By shutting down the mighty Dar Assayad, she avoided the fate that befell on other newspapers and prints who have cheapened their content looking for clickbaits and who were at their most eloquent when they published a blank edition. No names, you know whom I speak of.
Please people, don't anyone give me the we-should-save-these-national-insitutions. From what? Inevitable death? Look at it this way, when Lebanese Blogs shuts down - that in itself means blogging in itsef is in dire risk. I still maintain that good content will always win, but seriously - paying for printing, distribution, stocking, warehousing is not the way to go. Anyone else who feels this is the future is seriously deluded.
Yes sure, I said it recently, people no longer come to us, we go to them. However, and please do not think I am favoring some topics over others, I still think - if you have something worthwhile to say, you will find your audience. You cannot be everything to everyone and please everybody all of the time. This is a fallacy.
At least Elham Freiha had the courage, and pride, to do what others did not do and still think they are relevant. Honestly, I heard it not long ago "trade publications will never die" - this from the founder of a magazine that someone uses as a support for this laptop and never opens when delievered to him free of charge.
You know people, get off your high horses. Times have changed, keep up with them or die. And no, blogging did not die, it morphed into something else. I know I need to post my work on other social media platforms for it to gather pace, but make no mistake - as I write this in my home, wearing slippers, on my retro orange 60s desk, I have  no office rents, no employees, and therefore my costs (save for my own time which I decided to use blogging) are nil. And yes, I still have very respectable readership, thank you very much.
Whereas I should be lamenting the death of Dar Assayad, today I say: Thank you Elham Freiha for avoiding the petty fate that came upon some of your competitors or peers. At least, being Said Freiha's daughter, you had something other did not have: Courage and pride.
I salute you.