Mass media in Syria explained

The mass media in Syria consists primarily of television, radio, Internet, film and print. The national language of Syria is Arabic but some publications and broadcasts are also available in English and French.[1] While television is the most popular medium in Syria, the Internet has become a widely utilized vehicle to disseminate content. Transcending all available media, the government seeks to control what Syrians see by restricting coverage from outside sources.[2] Publications and broadcasts are monitored by members of the government.[1] All mass media outlets are under the supervision of the Ministry of Information. Third article of the 2013 Information Ministry guidelines stipulate that purpose of all media outlets is "to enlighten public opinion" in line with the ideological doctrines "of the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party and the policy of the state".[3]

Following Ba'ath party's capture of power in 1963, the state immediately banned all news outlets except which advanced party propaganda. Syrians have had no exposure to free media or independent press since then, with there being no space for independent journalism, newspapers, publications, journalists or websites un-affiliated with party organizations. The situation has only worsened since 1970, with the Ba'athist dictatorship imposing additional censorship policies that furthered its totalitarian control of the society.[4] State propaganda machine is primarily used to monopolise information access and indoctrinate the Syrian population in Ba'athist ideology.[5]

Syria is one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists and is ranked 2nd worst in the World Press Freedom Index.[6] [7] There were 28 journalists killed in combat in 2012.[8] Between 2011 and 2020, more than 700 civilian journalists have been executed in Syria and 78% of them are estimated to have been to death by Ba'athist forces. More than 400 journalists were arrested or kidnapped in the course of the Syrian civil war. More than a third of independent journalists reporting on the war has been forced to flee, following government capture of territories in Southern and Eastern Syria during 2016-2018.[9] [10] There has been a mass flight of local journalists due to persecution, threats, harassment, torture, executions and kidnappings from the islamist militias. Syria has numerous laws such as "1965 law of protection against the revolution", "2011 media law", "2012 terrorism law", "2021 cybercrime law" which enables the government to formally indict journalists and give a legal cover to media censorship.[11]

Media

Public media journalists practice self-censorship. Public media consists of television, print, film, radio and internet and social media.

Print

According to Human Rights Watch, The Syrian Arab Establishment for Distribution of Printed Products, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Information, vets all newspapers prior to distribution. The only two private daily newspapers covering political topics that have succeeded in staying open are owned by businessmen closely tied to the state: Baladna and Al-Watan.[12] Al-Watan, a private daily formerly published by businessman Rami Makhlouf, President Assad's cousin, was launched in 2006. United Group, a major advertising group owned by Majd Suleiman, son of a former senior intelligence officer (Bahjat Suleiman), owns and operates the private daily Baladna.[13]

As of 2020, other pro-government and semi-official private prints are permitted to be published in Syria such as dailies: Al-Thawra, Tishreen, Al-Ba'ath and Al-Iqtissadiya.[14]

Television

See main article: Television in Syria. There is one main broadcaster for both television and radio called the General Organization of Radio and Television of Syria (ORTAS). It was founded in 1960 and is based in Damascus. The channel has programs in Arabic, English and French.[1] TV is the most popular media in Syria.

Satellite channels

Terrestrial channels

Newspapers

See main article: List of newspapers in Syria.

Film

See main article: Cinema of Syria. The Syrian film industry is state-run by the Ministry of Culture, which controls production through the National Organization for Cinema. The industry is largely propaganda based, focusing on Syria's successes in agriculture, health, transportation and infrastructure.[15]

Radio

See also: List of radio stations in Syria. First radio service began in 1941 in Syria.[16] There are over 4 million radios in Syria. They tend to broadcast music, ads and stories relating to culture.[1]

Online

See also: Telecommunications in Syria. Providing hosting services is a violation of United States sanctions.[17] Syrian government websites, news agencies and online news services based in or targeted at Syria, several of which launched during the Syrian civil war, include:[17]

Pro-rebel media

The public does have access to Western radio stations and satellite TV, and Qatar-based Al Jazeera has become very popular in Syria.

In August 2012, a media centre utilized by foreign reporters in Azaz was targeted by the Syrian Air Force in an airstrike on a civilian area during Ramadan.[28]

Television

See main article: Television in Syria. There are also satellite stations which broadcast outside Syria. Two of the primary satellite networks, Eutelsat and Nilesat, have recently expressed frustrations over the Syrian government preventing satellite TV transmissions broadcast from international outlets.[8]

Satellite channels

Press

Radio

See main article: List of radio stations in Syria.

Pro-Turkish:

Internet and social media

See main article: Internet in Syria. With the breakdown of many traditional media outlets during the civil war, much of the current events are reported by individuals on Facebook and Twitter. However, the reliability of such reports can in many cases not be independently verified by credible news agencies. While many websites have appeared and publish a pro-opposition alternative to pro-government media, the lack of robust journalistic standards has often benefited the government since correctly denying news reports gives them more credibility.[34]

Journalism from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.[35]

Prohibitive measures against media

State of Emergency law

The constitution of the Syrian Arab Republic guaranteed the right to a free press and freedom of expression, but Syria was under a highly restrictive state of emergency law since the Ba'ath Party came to power in 1964 until 2011. Anyone wishing to establish an independent paper or periodical must apply for a license from the Ministry of Information.[40] In 2011 the state of emergency was lifted.[41] This seems to have had no effect what-so-ever on the way the government conducted itself regarding the media, with Syria's ranking actually worsening the following year with journalistic organizations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists,[42] and Reporters Without Borders[43] both ranking Syria as one of the top four most repressive countries in the world.

In April 2009, Syrian Kurdish journalist Faruq Haji Mustafa was arrested by the Ba'athist secret police and has never been heard from again.[44]

Internet censorship

See main article: Internet censorship in Syria. There are over 5 million Internet users in Syria. Reporters Without Borders lists Syria as an “internet enemy” due to high levels of censorship. The Internet is controlled by the Syrian Computer Society (SCS) and the Syrian Telecommunications Establishment (STE).[45] The government monitors activity through the hacking of emails and social networking accounts and phishing. Simultaneously, the government releases pro-Assad propaganda and false information to support its cause. The law requires Internet cafes to record all comments in the online chatrooms.[46] There was a two-day Internet blackout in 2012, which was likely orchestrated by the government.[8] Authorities have blocked journalists and bloggers from attending and reporting on events by arresting and torturing them. This is not limited to Syrian journalists as members of the Associated Press and Reuters have been arrested and expelled from the country for their reporting.[47]

Press freedom

Reporters Without Borders ranked Syria 179th out of 180 countries in the world on its 2024 Press Freedom Index.[48] On the Press Freedom Barometer for 2022, the organization reports that 1 journalist has been killed, while 27 journalists and 2 media workers have been imprisoned.[49]

See also

Further reading

Joseph Daher Syria, the uprising and the media scene, OpenDemocracy 26 October 2017

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Syria-media profile . European Neighborhood Journalism Network . n.d. . European Neighborhood Journalism Network . 30 March 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121009035310/http://www.journalismnetwork.eu/index.php/_en/country_profiles/syria/ . 9 October 2012 . dead .
  2. Web site: BBC documentary examines Syria's state TV channel al Ikhbariya. Nick Sturdee . . 10 February 2013 . The Guardian . 30 March 2013.
  3. Book: Sadiki . Larbi . Routledge Handbook of the Arab Spring: Rethinking Democratization . Fares . Obaida . Routledge . 2014 . 978-0-415-52391-2 . 188, 189 . 15: Pro-Regime versus Oppositional Media: During the Revolution, 2011–2013.
  4. Web site: 3 May 2023 . On World Press Freedom Day: The Annual Report on the Most Notable Violations Against Media Workers in Syria . https://web.archive.org/web/20230508220901/https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/world-press-freedom-day-annual-report-most-notable-violations-against-media-workers-syria-may-2023 . 8 May 2023 . OCHR: Reliefweb.
  5. Web site: 2023 . Syria . https://web.archive.org/web/20230508225036/https://rsf.org/en/country/syria . 8 May 2023 . Reporters Without Borders.
  6. Web site: 2024 . Syria . https://web.archive.org/web/20240509195046/https://rsf.org/en/country/syria . 9 May 2024 . Reporters Without Borders.
  7. News: 3 May 2024 . Syria ranks second to last in RSF’s press freedom index . https://web.archive.org/web/20240503114442/https://english.enabbaladi.net/archives/2024/05/syria-ranks-second-to-last-in-rsfs-press-freedom-index/ . 3 May 2024 . Enab Baladi.
  8. Web site: Country profile: Syria. BBC News . 30 January 2013 .
  9. Web site: 12 March 2021 . Toll of ten years of civil war on journalists in Syria . https://web.archive.org/web/20220621181617/https://rsf.org/en/toll-ten-years-civil-war-journalists-syria . 21 June 2022 . Reporters without Borders.
  10. Web site: 3 May 2020 . 707 Citizen Journalists Killed Since March 2011 to Date, 78% by Syrian Regime Forces . https://web.archive.org/web/20220618161950/https://snhr.org/blog/2020/05/03/54947/ . 18 June 2022 . The report notes that 707 citizen journalists have been killed since March 2011 to date, 78% of them by Syrian Regime forces..
  11. Web site: 2023 . Syria . https://web.archive.org/web/20230508225036/https://rsf.org/en/country/syria . 8 May 2023 . . The regime treats the media as a tool for disseminating Baathist ideology and excludes any form of pluralism, driving many journalists into self-imposed exile...During the initial anti-government protests, the government banned international media outlets and freelancers from entering the country...with the risks of arrest, abduction, torture or murder, Syrian journalists are often forced to flee the country to escape mistreatment or death..
  12. 2010-07-16 . A Wasted Decade: Human Rights in Syria during Bashar al-Asad's First Ten Years in Power . Human Rights Watch . en . Houry . Nadim .
  13. Book: Arab Media Systems . 2021 . Claudia Kozman, Carola Richter, Open Book Publishers . 978-1-80064-064-1 . Cambridge, UK . 1241253592.
  14. 3 May 2020 . 707 Citizen Journalists Killed Since March 2011 to Date, 78% by Syrian Regime Forces . SNHR . 1–19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221126094933/https://snhr.org/wp-content/pdf/english/On_World_Press_Freedom_Day_We_demand_the_Release_of_422_Citizen_Journalists_in_Syria_en.pdf . 26 November 2022 .
  15. Web site: Critical Nationals: The Paradoxes of Syrian Cinema . 2006 . Rasha Salti . . Danish Film Institute (Copenhagen) . 15 February 2013.
  16. Yushi Chiba. Media History of Modern Egypt: A Critical Review. 6 . Kyoto Working Papers on Area Studies: G-COE Series. 2010. 84 . 2433/155745.
  17. Web site: Official Syrian Web sites hosted in U.S. . New York Times . . November 29, 2012 . New York Times . April 25, 2013.
  18. Tom. O'Connor. Syria at War: As U.S. Bombs Rebels, Russia Strikes ISIS and Israel Targets Assad. Newsweek. 17 March 2017. 28 April 2017.
  19. News: McKernan. Bethan. Syrian army creates unit just for women after so many sign up to fight Isis. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syrian-army-creates-womens-unit-fighting-isis-islamic-state-bashar-al-assad-regime-terror-group-a7558896.html . 2022-05-12 . subscription . live. The Independent. 2 February 2017.
  20. News: Forbes Releases Top 50 MENA Online Newspapers; Lebanon Fails to Make Top 10. 11 September 2014. Jad Aoun. 28 October 2010.
  21. https://suna-sy.com/ SUNA About us
  22. https://click-news.net/about-us/ عن كليك
  23. https://snacksyrian.com/
  24. https://q-streetjournal.com/ Q Street Journal Main Page
  25. Web site: Interview Adib Abdulmajid. Tilburg University. en. 2017-06-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20171010141341/https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/education/masters-programmes/management-of-cultural-diversity/interviews/adib/. 2017-10-10. dead.
  26. Web site: Independent news agency launched in Syria. Free Press Unlimited. en. 22 May 2013.
  27. Web site: Developing Professional Journalism in Syria. Free Press Unlimited. 2015.
  28. Web site: Syrian warplanes hammer rebel border town. 15 August 2012. Al Jazeera. 15 August 2012.
  29. Web site: Syria's media war. Columbia Journalism Review.
  30. Web site: بيان إغلاق أورينتعلاء فرحاتععلاء فرحات. 21 November 2023. 21 November 2023. Orient News.
  31. News: Kilani . Feras . 2014-11-28 . Qatar's Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: Will new media venture silence suspicions? . en-GB . BBC News . 2022-06-26.
  32. News: Syria media guide. BBC News . 28 August 2011 . 22 May 2023.
  33. News: Syrian newspapers emerge to fill out war reporting. The New York Times . April 2013 . MacFarquhar . Neil .
  34. News: Syrian Newspapers Emerge to Fill Out War Reporting. The New York Times. 2013-04-01. 2016-01-23. 0362-4331. Neil. Macfarquhar.
  35. Web site: Rojava Information Center. Rojava Information Center. en-GB. 2020-03-29.
  36. Web site: Têkilî (contact). ANF News. ku.
  37. Web site: Contact ANHA. 2 January 2017. Phone +96352463446 (Hasaka Syria number). https://web.archive.org/web/20180223173257/http://en.hawarnews.com/contact/. 23 February 2018. dead.
  38. News: Issa. Philip. Mroue. Bassem. Misdirected US strike killed 18 allied fighters in Syria. AP News. 13 April 2017. Beirut.
  39. Web site: About us - Kurd Net - Ekurd.net Daily News. Kurd Net - Ekurd.net Daily News.
  40. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Syria.pdf Syria country profile
  41. Web site: Syria's Assad ends state of emergency . Khaled Yacoub Oweis . 21 April 2011 . Reuters . 14 August 2012.
  42. Web site: 10 Most Censored Countries . Committee to Protect Journalists . 2 May 2012 . 14 August 2012.
  43. Web site: Press Freedom Index 2011-2012 . Reporters Without Borders . 14 August 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303230901/http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2011-2012%2C1043.html . 3 March 2016 .
  44. Web site: 22 April 2009 . Syrian journalist held incommunicado, another on trial . https://web.archive.org/web/20210506164814/https://cpj.org/2009/04/syrian-journalist-held-incommunicado-another-on-tr/ . 6 May 2021 . Committee to Protect Journalists.
  45. Web site: Syria . 2012 . Reporters Without Borders . 2013-04-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171206055007/http://surveillance.rsf.org/en/syria/ . 2017-12-06 . dead .
  46. Web site: There is no media in Syria at all . 11 April 2012 . Irish Times .
  47. Web site: Syria . Reporters Without Borders . 1 September 2011 . 19 March 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100925125644/http://en.rsf.org/report-syria,163.html . 25 September 2010 . dead .
  48. Web site: 2024 . Syria . https://web.archive.org/web/20240509195046/https://rsf.org/en/country/syria . 9 May 2024 . Reporters Without Borders.
  49. Web site: Syria RSF . 2022-05-06 . rsf.org . en.

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