World Press Day

The Syrian Mass Media means have paid a heavy price due to the ongoing crisis, where scores of colleagues and media outlets were brutally targeted by the foreign-backed terrorist and takfiri groups. The Syrian Satellite transmissions were illegally cut off by anti-free speech ewes and their pardons.

Actually, and as Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi has recently declared in Moscow, the media war, Syria has been facing, is also based on preventing the country from getting the modern technology necessary to broadcast facts and real information messages about what is really going on in Syria: “Syria is being exposed to a real aggression in which the media plays a main role and the armed terrorist groups act as a military arm to destroy Syria”.

The minister cited t tens of satellite channels and public relations companies that are highly paid to contribute to implementing a conspiracy aiming to weaken the Syrian state and its establishments, pointing out that many of the journalists, who were martyred or wounded in the war waged against Syria, reiterating that tens of foreign journalists had entered Syria illegally and were targeted by the armed terrorist groups.

Minister al-Zoubi underscored that Syria wants the mass media to broadcast the reality of events in the country without fabrications or falsification, so the Information Ministry has so far  given permission to more than 300 media outlets from different countries to enter Syria, stressing that the Syrian armed forces didn’t target a single journalist directly neither through arrests nor through fire shooting.

” Syria has been exposed to a media attack; media, notwithstanding its importance, cannot outdo the reality. They might be stronger in space- satellite transmission-, but we are stronger on the ground than in the space. Still, we want to win on the ground as well as in the space.” said H.E. President Bashar Al-Assad in press statements following the casting of his vote in Syria’s New Constitution referendum, February 26  2012.

In his statements, President Al-Assad underscored that the Syrian official media is the best in the region, with an eye on competing not with those who are less, but who are better. Such a mad hysterical media attack of fabrications, lies and disinformation against everything Syrian has been escalated and aggravated by petro-dollar and western media outlets, which affirms, as President Al-Assad declared on August 29, 2012, that the ” Syrian media managed to expose them and undermine their media empires” as a further ”proof of the success of Syrian media”.

Here comes, actually, the underway modifications, upgrades, and-at times- drastic changes in Syrian mass media means tackling of domestic, regional and international issues of interest. More space as well as coverage- opposition meetings in Syria are being covered live on State TV- is accorded to different ideas and views representing many angles of Syria’s spectra. Many of the analysts, researchers, and politicians, unfortunately absent for a long time, do contribute nowadays to enriching the said spectra, especially during the ongoing crisis imposed upon Syria.  An invitation was even addressed by the Syrian Minister of Information, Mr.Omran al-Zou’bi, to national opposition figures as to have their say heard a loud. Most of the Syrians nowadays are in waiting for their Syrian TV main news broadcast at 8:30 p.m., which starts with the newly-introduced brief political analysis. Such a far-sighted deep analysis raises optimism, courage, pride and awareness in most of the Syrians, given the heroic operations- some of which are being broadcasted live- by the heroes of the Syrian Arab Army against the foreign-backed mercenary terrorists.

Further, the Syria Times was re-launched by Minister al-Zoubi, where the number of its readership on line today nears a million. This is but the new Syrian media live coverage for events on the ground, where the brave colleagues stand shoulder to shoulder with army personnel in defence of the sacred homeland. Such coverage for the reality on the ground does make the Syrian media excel in the space. One here can’t but to reiterate that such a coverage has instigated those involved in the crime being perpetrated against the Syrians to cut Syrian Satellites transmission.

The ongoing developments in Syrian Mass Media means can also be seen in the light of President Al-Assad’s far-sighted vision for media role as has been clarified and reflected in his interview with Addounia TV on August 29, 2012. The work is ongoing, with persistence and determination, on enhancing the role of media means’ investigating role as part of ‘popular oversight’ in Syria’s national interest. The issues discussed and topics raised, considered until recently a taboo, if to say, or somehow forbidden, are being highlighted and fleshed out in a series of TV, radio programs, and written articles, offering some suggestions, at times solutions, to the concerned.

The unjust war waged against Syrians by foreign media means made the concerned throw their hats in the ring, standing up to the challenges imposed. Hopefully, the re- launching of the Syria Times would further contribute to shedding the more of light on the realities of everything Syrian, as to get closer to the aspired-for noble objectives. Truth, according to Minister al-Zou’bi, in statements to the Independent quoted by Robert Fisk, ”will no longer be a casualty” and ”Nothing can be hidden. There is no justification to hide anything. People are used to the real facts now….Thus we don’t want a lying media.” Hopefully, the Syria Times, with about a million readership, were able to say the truth in a simple, straight to the point and clear way as to help in exposing, encountering and foiling those who are so good at marketing their lies, not to mention those whose media outlets are but the partners in the shedding of Syrian blood with prior knowledge of many terrorist attacks against Syrians.

Dr. Mohammad Abdo Al-Ibrahim