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.
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. Publications and broadcasts are monitored by members of the government.
Syria is ranked as one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists. There were 28 journalists killed in combat in 2012.
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
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...
, ''The 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 regime: ''
Baladna
''Baladna'' ( ar, بلدنا, lit=Our Country) is a privately owned, government-aligned Arabic daily newspaper published in Syria. The paper has also an English edition which was launched in December 2009 but later shut down.
History and profil ...
'' and ''
Alwatan''. ''Alwatan'', a private daily published by businessman
Rami Makhlouf
Rami Makhlouf ( ar, رَامِي مَخْلُوف, Rāmī Maḫlūf; born 10 July 1969) is a Syrian businessman and the maternal cousin of president Bashar al-Assad. At the beginning of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, he was considered to be Syr ...
, President Assad's cousin, was launched in 2006.
United Group
United Group is an alternative telecom provider in Southeast Europe that operates both telecommunications platforms and mass media outlets.
History
United Group was formed in 2007, as a Luxembourg-registered multinational entity, in a merger ...
, a major advertising group owned by
Majd Suleiman
Majd Bahjat Suleiman ( ar, مجد بهجت سليمان, born 28 October 1974), also known as ''Majd Suleiman'' or ''Majid Suleiman'', is a Dubai-based Syrian businessman and son of the former Syrian ambassador to Jordan and intelligence chief Ba ...
, son of a former senior intelligence officer (
Bahjat Suleiman
Bahjat Suleiman ( ar, بهجت سليمان; 194925 February 2021), also known as Bahjat Sulayman, was a Syrian Ambassador to Jordan and head of the internal branch of the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate (GID), also known as Branch 251, ...
), owns and operates the private daily ''
Baladna
''Baladna'' ( ar, بلدنا, lit=Our Country) is a privately owned, government-aligned Arabic daily newspaper published in Syria. The paper has also an English edition which was launched in December 2009 but later shut down.
History and profil ...
''.
''
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.The only other political publication ''
Abyad wa Aswad'' (White and Black) is owned by Bilal Turkmani, son of the former defense minister,
Hasan Turkmani
Hasan Ali Turkmani ( ar, حسن توركماني; 27 January 1935 – 18 July 2012) was a prominent Syrian military commander and Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party member. He served as the minister of defense in Syria from 2004 to 2009.
He and t ...
. Other government-friendly businesspeople started a satellite television channel called
Addounia TV
Addounia TV ( ar, قناة الدنيا الفضائية, lit=The World) was a private television station based in Damascus, Syria since March 23, 2007. The station is described by some western media as "semi-official" and a "mouthpiece of the gov ...
, which excludes political news.
Television
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.
TV is the most popular media in Syria.
Satellite channels
*
Addounia TV
Addounia TV ( ar, قناة الدنيا الفضائية, lit=The World) was a private television station based in Damascus, Syria since March 23, 2007. The station is described by some western media as "semi-official" and a "mouthpiece of the gov ...
*
Arrai TV
Arrai TV ( ar, قناة الرأي) was an Arabic-language television station based in Syria. The channel was owned by Misha'an al-Juburi. During the Libyan Civil War in 2011, it was used by overseas Libyans to defend the Gaddafi government, den ...
*
Cham TV
*
Massaya TV
Massaya TV (Arabic قناة مسايا الفضائية) is a private Syrian satellite television station based in Damascus and in Dubai. It is specializing in broadcasting events, concerts and weddings particular in Syria and the Arab World. Mass ...
*
Lana TV
Lana may refer to:
*Lana (given name)
*Francesco Lana de Terzi (1631–1687), Italian Jesuit priest and scientist
*Lana (wrestler), professional wrestler and pro wrestling manager
*'' Wild Energy. Lana'', a 2006 Ukrainian fantasy novel
Sciences
* ...
*
Sama TV
Sama TV ( ar, قناة سما الفضائية, lit=Sky) is a television station based in Damascus, Syria since September 7, 2012. Sama TV is a sister channel of defunct Addounia TV.
Programs
Sama TV features a variety of general-interest program ...
*
Spacetoon
( ar, سبيستون or ) is a pan-Arab free-to-air television channel that specializes in animation and children programs. It began broadcasting on 15 March 2000 and it is headquartered in Dubai, UAE with offices in Riyadh. The channel targe ...
*
General Organization of Radio and TV (Syria)
The General Organization of Radio and TV ( ar, الهيئة العامة للإذاعة والتلفزيون), also known as from French ''Organisation de la Radio et la Télévision Arabe Syrienne '' (in short ORTAS), is the state and public br ...
(RTV)
**
Noor Al-Sham
Noor Al-Sham, also spelled Nour El-Sham (Arabic , literal translation "The Light of the Levant" is a state-run, religious satellite television
Satellite television is a service that delivers television programming to viewers by relaying it from ...
**
Syria TV
**
Syrian Drama TV
**
Syrian Education TV
**
Syrian Medical TV
**
Syrian News Channel
**
Talaqie TV
Talaqie TV (Arabic قناة تلاقي, literal translation "Meeting") was a television station
A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity, such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, that ...
Terrestrial channels
*
Channel 1 (Terrestrial, with
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
focus)
*
Channel 2 (Terrestrial, with sport, family and health focus including regional variants)
Newspapers
* ''
Al-Ba'ath''
* ''
Al-Thawra
Al-Thawra ( ar, الثورة, meaning "The Revolution") is an experimental metal punk band with rhythms and modes that draw heavily on Middle Eastern influences. Band member Marwan Kemal describes a "third identity" between the "false dichotomy ...
''
* ''
Tishreen''
* ''
Syria Times'' (defunct)
* ''
Al-Watan''
* ''
Baladna
''Baladna'' ( ar, بلدنا, lit=Our Country) is a privately owned, government-aligned Arabic daily newspaper published in Syria. The paper has also an English edition which was launched in December 2009 but later shut down.
History and profil ...
''
* ''
Al-Iqtissadiya''
* ''
Enab Baladi
''Enab Baladi'' ( ar, عنب بلدي, lit=Country Grapes) is a Syrian nonprofit media organization that publishes a newspaper with the same name, in Arabic and English. It was established in Darayya, Syria in 2011, and is also a 501(c)(3) nonpr ...
''
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. They tend to broadcast music, ads and stories relating to culture.
* Syrian Arab Republic Radio
Alaan FM Al Aan FM Launched in Syria in October 2012 broadcasting live from the UAE. Al Aan FM is available in the following cities and frequencies:
* FARAH FM 97.3
*Al-Bukamal 96.6 MHz
*Aleppo 96.6 MHz
*Al Qunaitra 98.2 MHz
*Atimah Camps 99.7 MHz
*Azaz & Afrin 96.6 MHz
*Al Bab & Manbij 104.4 MHz
*Damascus 96.9 MHz
*Daraa 96.9 and 99.4 MHz
*Hama, Homs 97.6 MHz
*Idlib 96.6 MHz
*Kobani 96.7 MHz
*Latakia 96.6 MHz
*Qamishli & Amuda 97.6 MHz
*Suwayda 96.9 and 99.4 MHz
*Shaddadi (Ash Shaddadi) 97.6 MHz
* FARAH FM: www.farah.fm
* FARAH FM 97.
Radio FARAH FM Syria* Al-Madina FM: Syria's first private radio station
Online
Providing hosting services is a violation of United States sanctions.
Some of the official Syrian government websites include:
*
Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
* Ministry of Religious Affairs site
* General Authority for Development site
* Government of Hama, city website
News agencies
A news agency is an organization that gathers news reports and sells them to subscribing news organizations, such as newspapers, magazines and radio and television broadcasters. A news agency may also be referred to as a wire service, newswire, ...
and
online news
An online newspaper (or electronic news or electronic news publication) is the electronic publishing, online version of a newspaper, either as a stand-alone publication or as the online version of a printed periodical literature, periodical.
Goin ...
services based in or targeted at Syria, several of which launched during the Syrian civil war, include:
* ''
Al-Masdar News
''Al-Masdar News'' (sometimes abbreviated ''AMN'') ( ar, المصدر نيوز) is an online newspaper founded by Leith Abou Fadel. Al-Masdar is Arabic for "the source". ''Al-Masdar''s coverage focuses largely on conflict zones in the Middle E ...
'', sometimes criticized as sympathetic to the Syrian regime
*
Al-Watan, an online edition of Damascus-based ''Al-Watan'' newspaper, the 33rd most visited website for 2010 in the
MENA region
MENA, an acronym in the English language, refers to a grouping of countries situated in and around the Middle East and North Africa. It is also known as WANA, SWANA, or NAWA, which alternatively refers to the Middle East as Western Asia (or a ...
.
*
Amaq News Agency
Amaq News Agency ( ar, وكالة أعماق الإخبارية) is a news outlet linked to the Islamic State (IS). Amaq publishes news reports about claims of responsibility for terrorist attacks in Western countries. It is often the "first poi ...
, a news outlet linked to the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...
(ISIL).
*
ANF News ( ku, Ajansa Nûçeyan a Firatê), a Netherlands-based multilingual online news service.
* ''
ARA News
'' ARA News'' ( ar, آرانيوز, ʾĀrā Niyūz) was an online news service focused on the consequences of war in Syria and Iraq. Although described as a Kurdish news agency by its director, the site started as an Arabic-only news service an ...
'', an online news service focussed on the consequences of war in
Syria and
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
.
* ''
Hawar News Agency
'' Hawar News Agency'' (sometimes abbreviated ''ANHA'') ( ar, وكالة أنباء هاوار) is an news agency. The site started as an Arabic-only news service. Hawar News is linked to the Syrian Democratic Forces.
Ownership, identity and ...
'' (sometimes abbreviated ''ANHA'') ( ar, وكالة أنباء هاوار) is an online Kurdish news service based in
Al-Hasaka
Al-Hasakah ( ar, ٱلْحَسَكَة, al-Ḥasaka; ku, Heseke/حەسەکە; syr, ܚܣܝܟܐ Hasake), is the capital city of the Al-Hasakah Governorate, in the northeastern corner of Syria. With a 2004 census population of 188,160, it is the e ...
,
Syria, said to be linked to the
SDF.
* ''Ekurd.net'', an English language
online newspaper for
Kurds ug:كۇردلار
Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Ira ...
since January 2015, based in New York. The editorial team is known, though its owners are not.
*
NOW News
''NOW News'' (sometimes abbreviated NOW, formerly ''NOW Lebanon'') is a Beirut-based Lebanese news website focused on the Middle East founded in late 2012 and published in both English and Arabic by M Publishing SAL.
The site offers reports, ne ...
, a Beirut-based
news website
An online newspaper (or electronic news or electronic news publication) is the online version of a newspaper, either as a stand-alone publication or as the online version of a printed periodical.
Going online created more opportunities for newspa ...
focused on the Middle East, with a special section on the developing situation in Syria.
*
Orient Net, a Dubai-based Arabic and English language
online newspaper concerned with Syrian affairs.
* ''
Rumiyah'' is a multi-language Raqqa-based
online magazine
An online magazine is a magazine published on the Internet, through bulletin board systems and other forms of public computer networks. One of the first magazines to convert from a print magazine format to being online only was the computer mag ...
used by ISIL for propaganda and recruitment.
*
SMART News Agency, SMART standing for "Syrian Media Action Revolution Team", a France-based Arabic language opposition media network.
*
Syria Direct Syria Direct or Syria:direct ( ar, سوريا على طول), founded in 2013, is an independent news organization based in Amman, Jordan, that provides news coverage on Syria's war and politics, and trains journalists. They have been funded by an A ...
, an Arabic and English language news desk covering Syria's war and politics.
*
Syria-News, an Arabic language online
press agency
A news agency is an organization that gathers news reports and sells them to subscribing news organizations, such as newspapers, magazines and All-news radio, radio and News broadcasting, television Broadcasting, broadcasters. A news agency may ...
intended to report news about Syria.
* Syria NewsDesk, a Beirut-based Arabic news agency, focussed on the ordeal of the Syrian population, supported by the Dutch foundation "Free Press Unlimited".
Pro-rebel media
The public does have access to Western radio stations and satellite TV, and
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...
-based
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
has become very popular in Syria.
[
In August 2012, a media centre utilized by foreign reporters in ]Azaz
Azaz ( ar, أَعْزَاز, ʾAʿzāz) is a city in northwest Syria, roughly north-northwest of Aleppo. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Azaz had a population of 31,623 in the 2004 census. was targeted by the Syrian Air Force
)
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 16 October
, equipment =
, equipment_label =
, battles = * 1948 Arab-Israeli War
* Six-Day War
* Yom Kippur War
* ...
in an airstrike on a civilian area during Ramadan.
Television
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.[
]
Satellite channels
*Orient TV
Orient News (in Arabic تلفزيون أورينت) is a Syrian media group owned by Syrian businessman, journalist and opposition figure Ghassan Aboud, based in Dubai, providing news service to the Middle East with a focus on Syria.
History
Orie ...
* Aleppo Today
* Syria TV (Private)
Press
* Enab Baladi
''Enab Baladi'' ( ar, عنب بلدي, lit=Country Grapes) is a Syrian nonprofit media organization that publishes a newspaper with the same name, in Arabic and English. It was established in Darayya, Syria in 2011, and is also a 501(c)(3) nonpr ...
* ''Al-Ghad'': opposition paper
*Al-Ahd (The Vow)- published by the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood
*Brigades: published by a military brigade to raise questions about the origins of extremist Muslim fighters
*Shaam-published by the Shaam 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.
Radio
Internet and social media
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 regime media, the lack of robust journalistic standards has often benefited the government since correctly denying news reports gives them more credibility.
* Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently
Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently (RSS or RBSS) is a citizen journalist group reporting Syrian war news and human rights abuses by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and other forces occupying the northern Syrian city of Raqqa which I ...
: Citizen journalism effort exposing human rights abuses by ISIS
Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kin ...
forces occupying the northern Syrian city of Raqqa
Raqqa ( ar, ٱلرَّقَّة, ar-Raqqah, also and ) (Kurdish: Reqa/ ڕەقە) is a city in Syria on the northeast bank of the Euphrates River, about east of Aleppo. It is located east of the Tabqa Dam, Syria's largest dam. The Hellenistic, ...
.
* Rojava Information Center: Journalism from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.
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
Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recog ...
, 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.[Syria country profile]
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...
Federal Research Division
The Federal Research Division (FRD) is the research and analysis unit of the United States Library of Congress.
The Federal Research Division provides directed research and analysis on domestic and international subjects to agencies of the Unit ...
(April 2005). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain
The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...
.'' In 2011 the state of emergency was lifted. 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
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American independent non-profit, non-governmental organization, based in New York City, New York, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journ ...
, and Reporters Without Borders both ranking Syria as one of the top four most repressive countries in the world.
Internet censorship
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). 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
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pu ...
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
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
and Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency was esta ...
have been arrested and expelled from the country for their reporting.
Press freedom
Reporters Without Borders ranked Syria 171st out of 180 countries in the world on the Press Freedom Index
The Press Freedom Index is an annual ranking of countries compiled and published by Reporters Without Borders since 2002 based upon the organisation's own assessment of the countries' press freedom records in the previous year. It intends to re ...
in May 2022. 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.
See also
* Cinema of Syria
Syrian cinema has existed since the early 20th century. The first Syrian film was ''Al Muttaham al Baree (The Innocent Suspect)'', released in 1928. Since the early 1960s, the film sector has been mainly managed by the National Organization for ...
* List of newspapers in Syria
Newspapers were first published in Syria during the Ottoman era. The first newspaper published in the country was ''Hadiqat al-Akhbar'', published in 1857 by Khalil Al Khuri. The number of the newspapers increased when the country was under Frenc ...
* List of radio stations in Syria
* List of Syrian films
This is a list of Syrian films.
22
1970s
1971
* '' A Woman of Fire''
1973
* ''The Dupes'' ( Tewfik Saleh)
*'' Memory of a Night of Love''
* '' Wajh Akhar Lil Hub'' ( Muhammad Shahin)
1974
* '' Al-Mughamara'' ( Muhammad Shahin)
* ''Everyday Lif ...
* Syrian Civil War
* Media coverage of the Syrian Civil War
* Telecommunications in Syria
The Syrian Ministry of Communications retains governmental authority over the internet in Syria. Prior to the Syrian civil war, telecommunications in Syria were slowly moving towards liberalization, with a number of licenses awarded and services ...
* Television in Syria
Television in Syria was formed in 1960, when Syria and Egypt (which adopted television that same year) were part of the United Arab Republic. It broadcast in black and white until 1976. In 1985 a second channel was established and in 1995 Syrian te ...
References
Further reading
Joseph Dahe
Syria, the uprising and the media scene
''OpenDemocracy'' 26 October 2017
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Media Of Syria
Syria
Syria