The Complaints Committee in the Ethical Charter for Syrian Media “ECSM” issued its annual report that documents the complaints received by the Committee during 2023.

The committee received 12 complaints, divided between; 5 complaints were received from the audience, and 7 complaints were received within the framework of the training courses were held by the “ECSM” for students of Media Faculties in northwestern Syria.

According to the report, the complaints, in terms of type of media outlet, focused on written content, where the committee received 4 complaints on written (readable) materials, while the last complaint was on audio content.

The report aims to consolidate ethical journalism in Syria and achieve the thirteen standards adopted by the Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct and the Executive Instructions of the Complaints Committee in “ECSM”.

According to the report, the number of complaints received by the committee during 2023 is still relatively small compared to the volume of professional and ethical violations monitored by the executive team of the “ECSM” in the same year. This is due, according to the report, to the newness of the Complaints Committee and its actual launch since 2022.

The report indicated that the standards of accuracy, validity, clarity, integrity, slander and recrimination, stereotyping, and abuse and harm were among the most violated standards compared to the rest of standards contained in the code of conduct and the complaints system.

The complaint is an inherent right of the audience to improve the media content

Malak Swed, president of the Complaints Committee, said that the report is the beginning of educating the audience about their right to complain, correcting publishing errors, and objecting to professional and ethical violations that may result from media coverage by the Syrian media outlets, and guiding them to methods for exercising their right in professional ways.

She added that the Complaints Committee seeks to develop its work and tools, and to hold training workshops for both the audience and the media outlets alike, to provide guidance on the importance of the audience’s participation in the media content, and the need for adhering to the professional and ethical standards in the media and best practices in the journalism profession.

“Swed” also indicated that the committee seriously seeks to expand its work to include complaints received against media outlets that have not signed the text of the Charter, as part of the strategy of the Board of Directors of “ECSM” to increase the number of signatories to the text of the Charter and the complaints system.

In his side, Mohamad Alsatouf, Coordinator of the Complaints Committee, said that the current report represents an important addition to raise the awareness of audience about their rights, and the necessity of their participation in making news and correcting the work of media outlets, within the standards stipulated in the Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct of the Charter.

He added that the “ECSM” is in the process of forming a team to monitor the media outlets violations and evaluate the content in order to issue an evaluation about the media outlets most committed to the code of professional and ethical conduct of the Charter, and plan to issue an annual award later.

It is noteworthy that the “ECSM” issued the Complaints System in 2021, while launched the work of the Complaints Committee in 2022.

To read the full report, please click here