Covering Syria

Abstract

In March 2012, a twenty-five-minute documentary was released by Al-Jazeera's English network showing never seen footage from the heart of the Syrian uprising, chronicling the lives of ordinary citizens and the men who have taken up arms against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The short film, "Syria: Songs of Defiance," was shot entirely via the iPhone of an undercover journalist and produced by Al-Jazeera. Voices are muffled (the reporter's included), faces are blurred, names and locations are omitted. "Taking a camera would be risky," the anonymous reporter said in the video. "I brought my cell phone with me as I moved around the country."Syrian activists have been defying government blocks and censorship by uploading videos online, often supplying foreign media organizations with what little footage they are able to access. The desperate hope is that their message will be heard and the plight of the Syrian people will not go ignored by the international community. The Al-Jazeera documentary described:In Deir ez-Zor, as in other neighborhoods, they often hang up a large screen in order to broadcast a live Al-Jazeera broadcasting of their own demonstration. This is a big deal for demonstrators throughout the country-they want to know they're being seen all over the place. So, every night after the demonstration, people will go home and turn on Al Jazeera to see who came out tonight and who was shot tonight. 1

Proximity and distance in the mediation of suffering: Local photographers in war-torn Aleppo and the international media circuit

“…Similar to other current conflicts, international news coverage of the war in Syria was to a great extent shaped by the work of local photographers (Bishara, 2005, 2013; Murrell, 2009, 2010; Salama, 2012). Working under extreme danger and insecurity, local photographers in Aleppo managed to reach global audiences with their images.…”

“…From the start of the uprising and until the summer of 2016, at least 105 journalists were killed in Syria (Committee to Protect Journalists, n.d.). Journalists had also been subjected to torture, disappearances, deportation and denied access to the country (Reporters without Borders, 2011; Salama, 2012). Danger and restricted access made it difficult for journalists without close allegiances with whoever was in control in a given area to gain access.…”

“…Paradoxically, the situation was deemed too dangerous for these organisations’ permanent staff to cover (e.g. Salama, 2012), yet the very dangerousness of the situation prompted a profound demand for coverage. Local photographers in Aleppo answering to this demand for coverage were going outside during airstrikes and putting themselves in other positions of high risk to document the war.…”

Volume 2, Issue 1: Special Issue (Forced) Immigration and Media

“…As the civil uprising escalated in 2011, the government also began to prevent foreign journalists from entering Syria. Citizen journalism boomed during this information blackout and activists for(e)dialogue learned to work around government controls (Salama, 2012). For those telling these stories, they take the risk in the hope that the international community will hear their stories and respond.…”

Assessing the freedom of expression of Syrian refugee media outlets

“…As the civil for(e)dialogue uprising escalated in 2011, the government also began to prevent foreign journalists from entering Syria. Citizen journalism boomed during this information blackout and activists learned to work around government controls (Salama, 2012). For those telling these stories, they take the risk in the hope that the international community will hear their stories and respond.…”