Media of Syria

The media of 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. While television is the most popular media 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. Syria has consistently been ranked as one of the most repressive countries in the world in terms of press freedom. The media has been completely state-controlled since the Syrian Arab Republic came into existence in 1964. Since then, state and non-state news sources have constantly vied for a voice in an environment unfriendly to journalistic freedom. Publications and broadcasts are monitored by members of the government. Government control extends to journalistic freedom as well. Syria is ranked as one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists. There were 28 journalists killed in combat in 2012. The Ba'athist regime which ruled Syria until the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011 has been responsible for the abduction and murder of several independent journalists such as Ferzat Jarban

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. Articles issued under the extremely broad state of emergency law authorized the state to control newspapers, books, radio and television broadcasting, advertising, and the visual arts; the state retained the right to confiscate and destroy any work that threatened the security of the state. The Ba'athist regime which governed Syria until the 2011 civil war never tolerated independent sources of information. The media remains entirely state-owned and controlled by the Ba'ath Party through the office of the Ministry of Information. Media workers are government employees, and a high position requires loyal party membership. Passed in the wake of the Damascus Spring, the provisions of Decree No. 50 of 2001, applying to publishers, editors, journalists, authors, printers, distributors and bookstore owners, make most publications state-owned. Anyone wishing to establish an independent paper or periodical must apply for a license from the Ministry of Information. In 2011 the state of emergency was lifted. This seems to have had no effect what-so-ever on the way the regime conducted itself regarding the media, with Syria's ranking actually worsening the following year with journalistic organizations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Reporters Without Borders both ranking Syria as one of the top four most repressive countries in the world.

Internet censorship

Main article: Internet censorship in Syria

There are over 5 million Internet users in Syria; it has increasingly become one of the vehicles through which citizens voice their opposition. Political dissent is expressed primarily through social media and online video platforms. While state-run platforms prevent content that expresses opposition to the President or government policies, social media, in particular, allows citizens to voice their discontent. However, because of its potential for dissent, the government has tried to censor the Internet by blocking international websites such as Facebook and YouTube as well as other sites, which are known for expressing opposition. In fact, there are over 200 websites which are blocked by the government. 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). 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. There was a two-day Internet blackout in 2012, which was likely orchestrated by the government. 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.

Press freedom

Reporters Without Borders ranked Syria 173rd out of 178 countries in the world on the Press Freedom Index in October 2010. On the Press Freedom Barometer for 2013, the organization reports that 5 journalists have been killed, 21 journalists, 1 media assistant, and 18 netizens have been imprisoned.

State media

The government controls much of the broadcast and print media and shapes its content. For example, state-owned media outlets do not cover criticism of the President or his policies. State media journalists practice self-censorship. State media consists of television, print, film, radio and internet and social media.

Television

Main article: Television in Syria

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

• Syrian TV: state-run, operates domestic and satellite networks

Government owned press

• Al-Baath
• Al-Thawra
• Tishrin

Film

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.

Radio

There are over 4 million radios in Syria. FM broadcasters are permitted but are banned from transmitting any news or political content. Therefore, they tend to broadcast music, ads and stories relating to culture.

• Syrian Arab Republic Radio

Internet and social media

Main article: Internet in Syria

The Syrian government has many Web sites through which it disseminates information. While the Assad government requires all official Web sites be hosted inside Syria, the November Internet shutdown illuminated that many of its sites also maintain hosts outside Syria. This demonstrates how advanced the Syrian government has become on the Internet. It can still disseminate information when local hosts are shut down. Providing hosting services is a violation of United States sanctions. Some of the official Syrian government Web sites include:

• SANA: Syrian State News Agency
• Ministry of Religious Affairs site
• General Authority for Development site
• Government of Hama-city of heavy clashes between rebels and the government
• All4Syria.info-This is one of the most popular media sources in Syria with over 17,000 daily subscribers.

Non-state media

There are non-state media outlets in Syria; however, criticism of the President and his family, the ruling Baath Party, and the military is forbidden. In addition, the legitimacy of the regime may not be questioned. The government’s human rights record, Islamist opposition, allegations of official involvement in drug trafficking, the activity of Syrian troops in Lebanon, and anything unfavorable to the Arab cause in the Arab-Israeli conflict are topics that are censored. The government monitors domestic radio and television news broadcasts to ensure adherence to government policies, although foreign broadcasts are not censored, and satellite dishes are available and widely used. The government also screens and blocks access to Internet sites that are regarded as politically sensitive or pornographic. Human rights groups have documented cases of arrest, expulsion, mistreatment, harassment, and assassination of prominent journalists.

The government has not succeeded in maintaining total control. The public does have access to Western radio stations and satellite TV, and al Jazeera has become very popular in Syria. In addition, since 2011 and the challenge of the Syrian opposition to the Ba'athist regime's authority, the regime has lost control of vast swathes of Syria; by the estimate of former Prime Minister Riyad Farid Hijab regime control only amounts to 30 percent of Syria's territory. This has allowed foreign media to operate unrestricted by the regime in the parts of the country controlled by the Syrian opposition. In August 2012, a media centre utilized by foreign reporters in Azaz was targeted by the Syrian airforce in an airstrike on a civilian area during Ramadan.

Businesspeople brought some investments into the media industry, but owing to the nepotistic nature of the Ba'athist regime, only regime insiders and associated cronies have been able to obtain the necessary permits needed in order to be allowed to publish any form of media. Alwatan, a private daily published by businessman Rami Makhlouf, President Assad's cousin, has started recently with a circulation that is growing steadily. Aliqtisadi and Forward Magazine are two private newsmagazines, published by businessman Abdulsalam Haykal, Assad's friend. Forward Magazine, which carries the same name as the New York Jewish weekly, addresses the American audience. A major advertising group owned by Majed Suleiman, son of a former senior intelligence officer, runs the non-political daily Baladna. The only other political publication Abyad Wa Aswad (White & Black) is owned by Bilal Turkmani, son of the current defense minister. Other regime-friendly businesspeople started a satellite television channel called Addounia TV, which excludes political news.

Television

Main article: Television in Syria

While broadcasts within Syria are largely subject to government control, 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.

• Syrian TV: private, pro-government
• Hurriyat: opposition, weekly
• Al-Jazeera: the Qatar-based television station suspended its broadcasting in Syria because of intimidation and threats against reporters. As of April 27, 2013, the network does not have activity in the country.
• Satellite Stations: Syria has several opposition satellite stations, which broadcast from outside Syrian borders. They have become more prevalent since 2011. They include:
  • Barada TV: London-based opposition satellite station
  • Orient TV: UAE based satellite station
  • Al Ghad TV
  • Al Arabiya-Saudi-run channel

Press

• Al-Ghad: opposition paper
• Al-Ahd (The Vow)- published by the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood
• Free Syria-weekly published in Gaziatep, Turkey. Stories tend to support pluralism, moderate Islam and democracy
• Brigades: published by a military brigade to raise questions about the origins of extremist Muslim fighters
• Sham-published by the Sham News Network, which is an activist news organization. It is privately financed. Each 16-page edition includes coverage of culture, translation from foreign news sources and cartoons that are critical of the Assad government.
• Pamphlets: Muslim extremist groups such as Nusra Front and Jabhet al-Nusra utilize pamphlets to disseminate their ideas

Film

The Syrian government’s cinema arm, the National Cinema Organization, has stifled the freedom of filmmakers to create and release films. Talented Syrian directors such as Ossama Mohammad and Mohamed Males one made one to two films each as they have been limited by the requirements imposed by the regime. However, in 2012, Paris’s Forum des Images film centre highlighted a few Syrian films that had slipped past the Syrian regime’s censors. Omar Amiralay, for example, was a documentary filmmaker who shot films without state approval and broadcast them on Al Arabiya or Al Jazeera networks. Recently, the Internet has offered filmmakers a new outlet to broadcast their films. One example of this is that every Friday, since April 2011, volunteers, formed by Abounaddara, have posted a short film on the Internet depicting the social side of the conflict.

• Abounaddara: Damascus-based production company founded in 2010 to broadcast Syrian films online.

Radio

• Al-Madina FM: Syria's first private radio station

Internet and social media

Main article: Internet in Syria

While online and social media have the potential to break news stories, there have been issues with false information being disseminated and gaining traction. This has actually benefited the regime because correctly denying news reports gives them more credibility.

See also

• Cinema of Syria
• List of newspapers in Syria
• List of radio stations in Syria
• List of Syrian films
• Syrian civil war
• Syrian media coverage of the Syrian civil war
• Telecommunications in Syria
• Television in Syria

External links

• News and Media of Syria at the Open Directory Project
• Syria's Media profiles of people and institutions provided by the Arab Decision project