Syrian journalists hold the line: How independent media kept reporting through war and transition

Journalists and organizations are increasingly asserting agency, engaging in public debate and defending institutional independence. It reflects a broader shift in how ethical standards are understood as professionally owned tools essential for credibility, public trust and the development of a democratic media ecosystem.

Adapting to survive

In the RSF Press Freedom Index of 2025, Syria was the biggest riser globally, climbing 36 places compared to the year before. The fall of the Assad regime in 2024 brought hope but also new dangers. Media organizations no longer have a common goal now that the Assad regime has fallen. Dialogue and cooperation have reached an impasse because partners have differing views on the future of the country.

In this new political situation, the Syrian Journalists Association uses its leadership to stay critical and commit itself to stay independent and that no media should be under any control.

Independent outlets still face extreme pressure. “We were constantly moving, hiding, and adapting to survive”, one journalist said. Yet the outlet grew its audience from 170,000 to over 323,000 followers in a single month. “Simply continuing to publish under these conditions was a major achievement”, a team member of a FPU-supported outlet explained.

Increased credibility
During the Suwayda clashes, local media became the primary source of information. Journalists documented casualties, displacement, and kidnappings in real time, even as rumors and hate speech spread online. Their work relied on shared ethical standards developed throughout the first war years and captured in an ethical charter launched in 2015, including a complaints mechanism that was signed in 2021.

Representatives from media organisations, as well as readers and consumers of media, can complain if they are concerned with the quality or the correctness of the content published by the media. This mechanism handled 64 complaints from journalists seeking guidance. Over 670 reporters joined a WhatsApp-group for ethics training, many encountering professional standards for the first time.

One journalist put it simply: “The most important thing we gained from the project was the constant reminder that journalism is not only about publishing quickly, but about responsibility. In Syria, every word can have consequences.”

The Ministery of Information (MoI) has wanted to prioritise Ethical Standard that have been advised by an independent commission, under the auspices of the MoI, with consultations and the involvement of journalists across Syria. Which has since been published in Arabic, Kurdish, and English. Today the launched Media Code of Conduct is source of many debates, against or in favour.

Breaking the isolation

For years, Syrian media worked in fragments: some inside the country, others in exile across Turkey and Europe. EJSP II and its predecessor projects helped change that. It brought independent outlets of all regions in Syria and media in exile in dialogue with each other and in regular coordination sessions on ethical practices, dilemmas and audience engagement. One of the results is that outlets like Rozana, Arta for Media and Development, and Enab Baladi formed a consortium, sharing stories and coordinating coverage. Their collaboration produced 45 podcasts about local Syrian identities that reached over 1.2 million people on social media.

During Syria’s most recent violent conflicts positive, respectful comments on their Facebook pages dropped from 80% to 34% and hate speech in comments increased by 41%, showing the challenges of countering polarization. A new consortium’s joint project created a podcast series that sparked debate.

Training the next generation

Another partner within the programme trained 22 young journalists from across Syria, who produced 14 in-depth reports under their real names, a bold step in a country where anonymity was once essential for survival. Another group of 29 young reporters completed investigative stories, though one trainee deleted their work due to security concerns. “Young journalists bring energy and creativity,” a trainer noted, “but they still need sustained opportunities to move into leadership roles.”

Women journalists also gained more visibility. A podcast series on local identities featured 60% women interviewees and 80% women narrators. 

Despite these gains, independent media face an uneven playing field. Gulf-backed outlets offer above market fees compared to local independent organisations. “When institutions offer three or four times our salaries, people leave,” said one editor.

What’s next

The evaluation recommends to keep anchoring the work on credibility and audience trust, on which to keep building sustainability; offer more support for media viability, including strategic planning, and audience development. But the most urgent need is simple: continued backing. The economy struggles to move from destruction and depression and the media market in Syria is very limited as well as influxed by foreign media. With very few exceptions, the partners are based in Syria and most of those in exile went to Syria directly after the fall of Assad. Because the situation is still volatile and insecure they feel a need to counter the polarization, to uphold ethical journalism. As one partner said, “Your presence reassures us that we are not alone”. For Syria’s independent media, that support has made the difference between silence and survival.