The Complaint Committee at the Ethical Charter for Syrian Media “ECSM” has released its periodic report documenting complaints received by the committee during the second quarter of 2024.

The report aims to reinforce the concept of ethical journalism in Syria and achieve the thirteen standards adopted by the Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct and the executive instructions of the Complaint Committee at the Ethical Charter for Syrian Media.

The report covers the period from April 1, 2024, to June 30, 2024, during which the committee received four complaints, focusing on media content published on Syrian media outlets or content posted on Syrian social media pages.

One of the most notable events of the second quarter of this year was the Complaint Committee’s continued work on developing the complaint system, especially with the approval of expanding the committee’s work in the first quarter of 2024 and handling complaints according to the new amendment.

The report analyzes the results of the complaints received by the committee during the second quarter of 2024, in terms of the number and type of violations, comparing them to the results of previous years’ reports. The committee received four complaints, with one in April and another at the end of June, while two complaints were received in May. This means the second quarter of this year saw the same number of complaints as the first quarter. This number is relatively high compared to the number of complaints in 2022, when the committee handled four complaints, and 2023, when the committee handled five complaints.

Most of the four complaints received, in terms of content type, focused on written content, with three complaints about written materials, while the last complaint was about visual content on a social media platform belonging to a civil society organization. This contrasts with the complaints received in the first quarter of 2024, which focused on visual content.

In terms of the gender of the complainants, the complaints received were distributed between males and females, with three from males and one from a female.

For the first time, the committee handled a complaint against a publishing body based inside Syria. The complaint log data shows that three complaints were against publishing bodies based outside Syria, while the fourth complaint was against a publishing body based inside Syria. The data also indicates that three of the complained-against publishing bodies were Syrian, unlike in 2023, when most complaints were against non-Syrian media outlets, with the complaints involving Syrian-related journalistic content.

In terms of form, most of the complaints received during the period covered by the report were outside the committee’s jurisdiction, with three complaints against non-media institutions, while the fourth complaint was against content published by a Syrian media outlet.

Among the complaints received by the committee were two related to gender discrimination and stereotypes. Naturally, the committee focuses on the actual breach of the Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct of the Charter and the professional standards outlined in the executive instructions of the Complaint Committee. The data indicates that the standards of privacy, source protection, and responsibility towards children were the most violated compared to other standards in the Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct and the complaint system.

According to the report, the primary purpose and importance of the report are not only to show the number of complaints received by the committee and their handling mechanisms but also to meet the urgent need for media practices to move towards purer, violation-free journalism. Additionally, it aims to achieve a state of partnership between the audience and media outlets, thereby achieving one of the main goals of the complaint system, which is to support media outlets in improving media practices for the better, not to defame or incite against media outlets and create sensitivities.

The report emphasized that through diligent efforts, the committee aims to play an active role in ensuring Syrian media outlets’ adherence to professional and ethical standards, promoting responsible freedom of expression, and protecting the audience’s right to accurate and reliable information.

The report also called on media outlets and civil society organizations to publish and share the report and urged the Syrian audience to use the complaints mechanism as an accountability tool and activate their role in the governance of Syrian media.

It is worth noting that the ECSM issued the complaint system in 2021, while it  launched the Complaint Committee in 2022.

To read the full report, click here.

To submit a complaint, click here.