The mass media in Ba'athist Syria consisted primarily of television, radio, Internet, film and print. The national language of

Ba'athist Syria Ba'athist Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic (SAR), was the Syrian state between 1963 and 2024 under the One-party state, one-party rule of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region, Syrian regional branch of the Ba'ath Party (Syri ...

was Arabic but some publications and broadcasts were also disseminated in English and French. While television was the most popular medium in Ba'athist Syria, the Internet became a widely utilized vehicle to disseminate content by 2013. In addition to its control of domestic media, the Ba'athist state also sought to control what Syrians saw by restricting coverage from outside sources. Publications and broadcasts were monitored by members of the government. All

mass media Mass media include the diverse arrays of media that reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit information electronically via media such as films, radio, recorded music, or television. Digital media comprises b ...

outlets were under the supervision of the Ministry of Information. Third article of the 2013 Information Ministry guidelines stipulated that the purpose of all media outlets was "to enlighten public opinion" in line with the ideological doctrines "of the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party and the policy of the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

". Following

Ba'ath party The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party ( ' ), also known simply as Bath Party (), was a political party founded in Syria by Michel Aflaq, Salah al-Din al-Bitar, and associates of Zaki al-Arsuzi. The party espoused Ba'athism, which is an ideology ...

'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 worsened further after 1970, with the Ba'athist dictatorship imposing additional

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governmen ...

policies that furthered its

totalitarian Totalitarianism is a political system and a form of government that prohibits opposition from political parties, disregards and outlaws the political claims of individual and group opposition to the state, and completely controls the public sph ...

control of the society until the

Syrian Revolution The Syrian revolution, also known as the Syrian Revolution of Dignity, was a series of mass protests and civilian uprisings throughout Syria – with a subsequent violent reaction by the Ba'athist regime – lasting from 15 March 2011 to 8 De ...

erupts across

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

which began on 15 March 2011 until the dictator

Bashar al-Assad Bashar al-Assad (born 11September 1965) is a Syrian politician, military officer and former dictator Sources characterising Assad as a dictator: who served as the president of Syria from 2000 until fall of the Assad regime, his government ...

and his

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

are overthrown on 8 December 2024 with the Fall of Damascus to the government rebels which led the Assad family left Syria at midnight for

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

which landed in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

for a political asylum as refuge. State propaganda machine was primarily used to monopolise

information access Information access is the freedom or ability to identify, obtain and make use of database or information effectively. There are various research efforts in information access for which the objective is to simplify and make it more effective fo ...

and indoctrinate the Syrian population in Ba'athist ideology. Ba'athist Syria was one of the most dangerous places in the world for

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

s and was ranked 2nd worst in the

World Press Freedom Index The World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) is an annual ranking of countries compiled and published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) since 2002 based upon the non-governmental organization's own assessment of the countries' press freedom records in ...

in 2024. There were 28 journalists killed in combat in 2012. Between 2011 and 2020, more than 700 civilian journalists have been killed in Syria and an estimated 78% of these killings were perpetarted 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 were forced to flee after Assad regime's capture of territories in Southern and Eastern Syria during 2016-2018. During the early years of the

Syrian revolution The Syrian revolution, also known as the Syrian Revolution of Dignity, was a series of mass protests and civilian uprisings throughout Syria – with a subsequent violent reaction by the Ba'athist regime – lasting from 15 March 2011 to 8 De ...

, there was a mass flight of local journalists due to persecution, threats, harassment,

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...

executions Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

and

kidnappings Kidnapping or abduction is the unlawful abduction and confinement of a person against their will, and is a crime in many jurisdictions. Kidnapping may be accomplished by use of force or fear, or a victim may be enticed into confinement by frau ...

from Ba'athist and pro-Assad militias. Ba'athist Syria had numerous laws such as "1965 law of protection against the

revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

", "2011 media law", "2012 terrorism law", "2021 cybercrime law" which enabled the state to formally indict journalists and give a legal cover to media

Media

Public media journalists in Ba'athist Syria practiced self-censorship. Public media consisted 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 that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

, ''The Syrian Arab Establishment for Distribution of Printed Products'', which was affiliated with the Ministry of Information, vetted 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 Ba'athist regime: ''

Baladna ''Baladna'' () 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 profile The owner and publisher of '' ...

'' and '' Al-Watan''. ''Al-Watan'', a private daily formerly published by businessman

Rami Makhlouf Rami Makhlouf (; born 10 July 1969) is a Syrian businessman and a maternal cousin of former president Bashar al-Assad. At the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011, he was considered one of Syria's richest and most powerful men. According t ...

, Bashar al-Assad's cousin, was launched in 2006.

United Group United Group B.V. is an alternative telecom provider in the Balkans 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 of ...

, a major advertising group owned by

Majd Suleiman Majd Bahjat Suleiman (, born 28 October 1974; also known as Majid Suleiman) is a Syrian businessman and son of the former Syrian ambassador to Jordan and intelligence chief Bahjat Suleiman. He is the owner of Syria's largest media conglomerate, ...

, son of a former senior intelligence officer (

Bahjat Suleiman Bahjat Suleiman (; 194925 February 2021) was a Syrian diplomat and former military officer. He served as the head of the internal branch of the General Intelligence Directorate (Syria), General Intelligence Directorate (GID), also known as Syrian ...

), owns and operated the private daily ''

''. Other Ba'athist and semi-official pro-Assadist private prints were permitted to be published in Ba'athist Syria such as

dailies In filmmaking, dailies or rushes are the raw, film editing, unedited footage shot during the making of a motion picture. The term "dailies" comes from when movies were all shot on film because usually at the end of each day, the footage was dev ...

: '' Al-Thawra'', '' Tishreen'', ''

Al-Ba'ath ''Al-Ba'ath'' () is an Arabic language newspaper published by the Ba'ath Party in Syria and other Arab countries and territories, including Lebanon and Palestine. History ''Al-Ba'ath'' was founded in 1948 as an organ of the Arab Socialist Ba'a ...

'' and ''

Al-Iqtissadiya ''Al Iqtissadiya'' (Arabic: الاقتصادية; ''Economy'') is a weekly Arabic newspaper published in Syria. The paper is one of the first privately owned publications in Syria. Its sister paper is '' Al Watan'', a daily newspaper. History an ...

''.

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

Al Aan TV Al Aan or Alaan TV () is a pan-Arab infotainment satellite television station based in Dubai Media City, United Arab Emirates. History and Profile Al Aan broadcasts from Dubai Media City. Al Aan TV is free-to-air at Arab Satellite Communication ...

* Addounia TV *

Arrai TV Arrai TV () 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 Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar ...

* Cham TV * Massaya TV * Lana TV *

Sama TV Sama TV () is a formerly state-owned television station based in Damascus, Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to t ...

Spacetoon Spacetoon ( or ) is a pan-Arab free-to-air television channel that specializes in animation and children programs. It began broadcasting on 15 March 2000 in Bahrain TV, and it is currently headquartered in Dubai. The channel targets children ...

* General Organization of Radio and TV (ORTAS) **

Noor Al-Sham Noor Al-Sham, also spelled Nour El-Sham (, literal translation "The Light of the Levant") is a state-run, religious satellite television station based in Damascus, Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia l ...

Syria TV Syrian TV (), also known as Syrian Satellite Channel (), is a public broadcasting, public television channel, owned by the Syrian General Organization of Radio and TV (Syria), General Organization of Radio and TV and broadcast nationwide on Digi ...

Syrian Drama TV Syrian Drama TV () was a government-owned television station based in Damascus, Syria since 20 August 2009. Syrian Drama TV broadcast was stopped on Eutelsat Hot Bird 13 East on 22 October 2012. Its goal was to support Syrian drama after the g ...

Syrian Education TV Syrian Education TV (Arabic: القناة الفضائية التربوية السورية) was launched by the Syrian Ministry of Education on 14 October 2008 on Arabsat. It was later launched in June 2009 to broadcast from Damascus on Nilesat ...

** Syrian Medical TV **

Syrian News Channel Syrian News Channel (), also known as Alikhbaria Syria or Al-Ikhbariyah Syria, is a public television news channel, owned by the Syrian General Organization of Radio and TV based in Damascus, Syria, launched on 15 December 2010. The channel relau ...

** Talaqie TV

Terrestrial channels

* Channel 1 (Terrestrial, with

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

focus), shut down in 2012. * Channel 2 (Terrestrial, with sport, family and health focus including regional variants), shut down in 2012.

Newspapers

* ''

'' * '' Al-Thawra'' * '' Tishreen'' * ''

Syria Times ''The Syria Times'' () is an English-language Syrian daily e-newspaper. Profile ''The Syria Times'' was published by Tishreen Organization for Press and Publishing, a government-owned company that publishes the leading Arabic daily '' Tishreen' ...

'' (e-newspaper) * '' Al-Watan'' * ''

'' * ''

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

First radio service began in 1941 in Syria. 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. Ba'athist Syrian government websites,

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, newswir ...

and

online news 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 ...

services based in or targeted at Syria, several of which launched during the Syrian civil war, include: *

Syrian Arab News Agency The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) () is a Syrian State media, state-owned news agency, linked to Ministry of Information (Syria), the country's ministry of information. It was established in June 1965. SANA publishes more than 500 news storie ...

(SANA) * ''

Al-Masdar News ''Al-Masdar News'' (sometimes abbreviated ''AMN'') () was 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 East: Syria, Yemen, and Ir ...

'', a pro-Assadist newsoutlet. Shut down in 2021. * Al-Watan, an online edition of Damascus-based ''Al-Watan'' newspaper, the 33rd most visited website for 2010 in the

MENA region The Middle East and North Africa (MENA), also referred to as West Asia and North Africa (WANA) or South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA), is a geographic region which comprises the Middle East (also called West Asia) and North Africa together ...

. * SUNA news agency, an online news platform focused on Syria. * Click News Syria, an online news service and a special media blog focused on Syria. * Snack Syrian, an online news service focused on Syria. * Q Street Journal, an online news service, online radio and a special media blog focused on Syria. Broadcasting from

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...

. * ''

ARA News '' ARA News'' () 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 and , still published only in the Ara ...

'', an online news service focussed on the consequences of war in

and

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

, ceased operation in 2017. *

Syria-News ''Syria-News'' is a privately-run online press agency intended to report news about Syria. The website is financed by businessman Firas Tlass. Its editor-in-chief is Nidal Maalouf r head of the Syrian Economic Center. ''Syria-News'' was launche ...

, 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 radio and television broadcasters. A news agency may also be referred to as a wire service, newswi ...

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-opposition media

The public does have access to Western radio stations and satellite TV, and

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

-based

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; , ) is a private-media conglomerate headquartered in Wadi Al Sail, Doha, funded in part by the government of Qatar. The network's flagship channels include Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English, which pro ...

has become very popular in Syria. In August 2012, a media centre utilized by foreign reporters in

Azaz Azaz () 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 at the 2004 census.

was targeted by the

Syrian Air Force The Syrian Air Force () is the air force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. It was established in 1948, and first saw action in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Under Ba'athist Syria until December 8, 2024, it was known as the Syrian Arab Air Forc ...

in an airstrike on a civilian area during

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

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) was a Syrian media group owned by Syrian businessman, journalist and opposition figure Ghassan Aboud, based in Istanbul, providing news service to the Middle East with a focus on Syria. It cease ...

, based in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Announced on 21 November 2023, definitive closure on 1 January 2024. * Aleppo Today, based in

, Turkey *

Syria TV (Private) Syria TV () is a Syrian television network owned and operated by the Qatari Fadaat Media network. It was launched in March 2018 in Istanbul, where its headquarters are currently located, as a pro-Syrian opposition network, during the Syrian revol ...

, based in Istanbul, Turkey. Part of the

i pro-

Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers ('' ''), better known as the Muslim Brotherhood ( ', is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar, Imam and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna in 1928. Al-Banna's teachings s ...

Al Araby TV Network.

Press

Enab Baladi ''Enab Baladi'' () 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) nonprofit organization. History and profile ...

, based in Istanbul, Turkey. Announced closure on 23 November 2023. *Al-Ahd (The Vow): published by the

Syrian Muslim Brotherhood The Muslim Brotherhood in Syria () is the Syrian branch of the Sunni Islamist Muslim Brotherhood organization. Its objective is the transformation of Syria into an Islamic state governed by Sharia law through a gradual legal and political proce ...

*Qasioun News Agency: news agency licensed in Turkey, based in

Gaziantep Gaziantep, historically Aintab and still informally called Antep, is a major city in south-central Turkey. It is the capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Medi ...

. *

Shaam News Network Shaam News Network (S.N.N., ) is a Syrian media outlet. It is named after the Arabic name for the Levant region. It was funded by Syrian-American activists at the beginning of the Syrian revolution in 2011. It publishes videos, photos and art ...

, 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.

Radio

;Pro-Turkish: * Watan FM (from Istanbul, Turkey)

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 pro-government 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 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant#Human rights abuse and war crime findings, human rights abuses by Islamic State of Iraq and the L ...

: Citizen journalism effort exposing human rights abuses by

ISIS Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

forces occupying the northern Syrian city of

Raqqa Raqqa (, also , Kurdish language, Kurdish: ''Reqa'') is a city in Syria on the North bank of the Euphrates River, about east of Aleppo. It is located east of the Tabqa Dam, Syria's largest dam. The Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine city and b ...

. * Rojava Information Center: Journalism from the

Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), also known as Rojava, is a ''de facto'' Autonomous administrative division, autonomous region in northeastern Syria. It consists of self-governing Regions of North and E ...

. * ANF News (), a Netherlands-based multilingual online news service. * ''

Hawar News Agency '' Hawar News Agency'' (sometimes abbreviated ''ANHA'') (; ) is a news agency. The site started as an Arabic-only news service. Hawar News is linked to the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) and its armed forces the Sy ...

'' (sometimes abbreviated ''ANHA'') () is an online Kurdish news service based in

Al-Hasaka Al-Hasakah (; / ; ) is a city in northeastern Syria and the capital of the Al-Hasakah Governorate. With a 2023 estimated population of 422,445, Al-Hasakah is populated by Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians and a smaller number of Armenians and Chechens. Al ...

, said to be linked to the SDF. * ''Ekurd.net'', an English language

online newspaper 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 ...

for

Kurds Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...

since January 2015, based in New York. The editorial team is known, though its owners are not. * Orient Net, an Istanbul-based Arabic and English language

concerned with Syrian affairs. Announced on 21 November 2023, definitive closure on 1 January 2024. * Horan Free League, standing for "Syrian Revolution" in Horan. *

SMART News Agency The SMART News Agency () is an independent online Arabic-language media agency that mainly operates in Syria. It was owned by the Syrian Media Action Revolution Team (SMART), the largest independent opposition media network operating in Syria. ...

, standing for "Syrian Media Action Revolution Team", a France-based Arabic language opposition media network. Shut down in 2020.

Prohibitive measures against media

State of Emergency law

The constitution of the Syrian Arab Republic guaranteed the right to a

free press Freedom of the press refers to legal protections for public communications media. Free Press may also refer to: Publications * ''Free Press'' (CPBF), the journal of the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom * ''Free Press'' (Malayalam magaz ...

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 rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...

, but Syria was under a highly restrictive state of emergency law since the

Ba'ath Party The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party ( ' ), also known simply as Bath Party (), was a political party founded in Syria by Michel Aflaq, Salah al-Din al-Bitar, and associates of Zaki al-Arsuzi. The party espoused Ba'athism, which is an ideology ...

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 a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

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 Unite ...

(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 exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

.'' 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 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in New York City, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists. The '' American Journalism ...

, and

Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders (RWB; ; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organisation, non-governmental organization headquartered in Paris, which focuses on safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its a ...

both ranking Syria as one of the top four most repressive countries in the world. In April 2009,

Syrian Kurdish The Kurdish population of Syria is the country's largest ethnic minority, usually estimated at around 10% of the Syrian population Kurds are the largest ethnic minority in Syria, constituting around 10 per cent of the population – around 2 m ...

journalist Faruq Haji Mustafa was arrested by the Ba'athist secret police and has never been heard from again.

Internet censorship

In 2012, there were over 5 million Internet users in Syria. Reporters Without Borders listed Ba'athist Syria as an “internet enemy” due to high levels of censorship. The Internet was controlled by the

Syrian Computer Society The Syrian Computer Society () is an organization in Syria. It was founded by Bassel al-Assad in 1989, and was subsequently headed by his brother Bashar al-Assad, who would later become the President of Syria. It acts as Syria's domain name regis ...

(SCS) and the Syrian Telecommunications Establishment (STE). The Assad regime monitored activity through the hacking of emails and social networking accounts and phishing. Simultaneously, the government released pro-Assad propaganda and engaged in disinformation campaigns to support its cause. Ba'athist Syria's penal law required

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, publ ...

to record all comments in the online chatrooms. There was a two-day Internet blackout in 2012, which was orchestrated by the Assad regime. Ba'athist authorities constantly blocked journalists and bloggers from attending and reporting on events by arresting and torturing them. This was not limited to Syrian journalists as several foreign journalists, such as the members of the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

and

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

, were also arrested and expelled from the country over their reporting.

Press freedom

ranked Ba'athist Syria 179th out of 180 countries in the world on its 2024

Press Freedom Index The World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) is an annual ranking of Country, countries compiled and published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) since 2002 based upon the non-governmental organization's own assessment of the countries' Freedom of the ...

. 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.

References

External links

* {{Asia topic, Media of

Ba'athist Ba'athism, also spelled Baathism, is an Arab nationalist ideology which advocates the establishment of a unified Arab state through the rule of a Ba'athist vanguard party operating under a revolutionary socialist framework. The ideology ...

Ba'athist Syria Censorship in Syria Syria, Ba'athist Syria, Ba'athist

Media

Print

Television

Satellite channels

Terrestrial channels

Newspapers

Film

Radio

Online

Pro-opposition media

Television

Satellite channels

Press

Radio

Internet and social media

Prohibitive measures against media

State of Emergency law

Internet censorship

Press freedom

See also

References

Further reading

External links