Social Media News No. 18

The opposition conference held in Damascus on June 27 sparked a fierce debate in social networking circles. The conference, which supported the peaceful uprising in Syria and demanded freedom and democracy, focused on practical ways to organise different social groups. According to the organisers, the participants were independent figures and non-partisan opponents who do not [...]

Syrian Conflict Played Out in Song

By Maryam Hasan Syria’s ruler Bashar al-Assad and the nation over which he rules are literally polls apart. Syrians love peace and co-existence while Bashar chooses tanks and fighter jets. The people seek dignity and prosperity, their president prefers fear and poverty. The nation longs for the occupied Golan Heights, the Assads love the status [...]

Syrian Private Websites are Far From Independent

Analysis: New media in Syria remains in thrall to the regime By Shahine Mroue The apple of Syria’s private news media has not fallen very far from the state-controlled tree. A tangle of propaganda has always prevented professional media from serving the public, as well as the journalists themselves. The best examples of this among [...]

A Decade in Power, part 5 : Syrian Media should follow “the maestro’s stick”

Before 2000, the regime had total control over what was being published and broadcast in Syria. With the spread of satellite channels and later the Internet, journalists and ordinary citizens found a limited space of free expression. At the same time though, the crackdown on reporters continues. Many private media outlets have been shut or [...]