The Ethical Charter for Syrian Media “ECSM” concluded the first-ever Ethical Journalism Conference in Syria on Thursday, August 22, 2024. The event was held in-person in Azaz City, in northwest Syria, and online via Zoom application.

The conference saw extensive participation from journalists and activists working in Syrian media outlets and civil society organizations. A total of 72 people attended the event in Azaz, while another 43 participated via Zoom, including Arab and international journalists.

Participants discussed challenges and potential solutions to enhance ethical journalism and combat issues such as hate speech, fake news, and gender-based stereotypes in Syrian media. They also explored the role of the complaints mechanism in journalism for accountability and the importance of training and educating media professionals. The conference concluded with the announcement of the winners of the ECSM Award for Ethical Journalism, presented to media outlets participating in the competition.

In cooperation with Halab Today TV, ECSM organizes the first conference of its kind in Syria

In his opening remarks, Ahmad Elabsi, Chairman of the ECSM, emphasized the importance of promoting ethical journalism. He noted that the conference is the first of its kind at the national and regional levels.

He explained that the ECSM organized the conference in Azaz in cooperation with Halab Today TV, highlighting that the efforts made by the ECSM and independent Syrian media outlets played a significant role in the success of the conference through the media materials submitted for the ECSM Award for Ethical Journalism 2024. Elabsi added that the conference was rich with constructive suggestions and contributions from attendees, underscoring the importance of cooperation between independent Syrian media outlets and civil society organizations.

The conference agenda included three main sessions, facilitated by journalist Omar Arnaout, a technical officer and presenter at Halab Today TV. The sessions featured suggestions, and recommendations, and culminated in the announcement of the results of the ECSM Award for Ethical Journalism 2024.

In the first session, Ahmad Elabsi, Chairman of ECSM, spoke about the ECSM, its work, and the media outlets that signed the Charter. Malaak Swed, Chair of the Complaints Committee in ECSM, discussed the importance of having a complaints committee, its operational framework, and the mechanisms used to handle complaints. Dr. Mona Abdelmaksoud addressed the importance of ethical journalism in the Syrian context.

The first session also included presentations about graduation projects of students of the Media Faculty, sponsored by the ECSM. Student Ahmed Rahhal spoke on behalf of his fellow students at the conference.

Workshop on Ethical Journalism

The second session featured a workshop on the independent Syrian media sector and the challenges facing ethical journalism, such as hate speech, stereotyping, and fake news. Attendees were divided into ten working groups, both in-person and online, to discuss these challenges. The groups then presented their findings to all participants.

The first group discussed the main political and economic challenges facing ethical journalism and proposed solutions. The second group focused on hate speech, a significant challenge in independent Syrian media and ethical journalism, and provided recommendations on how to counter it. The third group examined media stereotyping, particularly against women, and how it poses a challenge to independent Syrian media and ethical journalism. The fourth group tackled the issue of fake news and misinformation, discussing how they challenge independent Syrian media and ethical journalism and proposed solutions. The fifth group addressed other challenges related to the concept of ethical journalism and suggested solutions.

The results of the groups discussions were presented as future recommendations to be worked on, with contributions from guests from the ECSM member media outlets, including Ghosoun Abou Dahab, Editor-in-Chief of Syria Press, Ahmet Bayraktar, Board Member of the ECSM and Reporters Manager at Halab Today TV, and Yafa Nawaf, a Syrian journalist, along with the conference facilitator.

Working groups to discuss challenges facing ethical journalism in Syria.

Media Accountability and the Importance of the Complaints Mechanism in ECSM

The third session focused on media accountability and the importance of the complaints mechanism within the ECSM. Journalist Masab Saoud, the Complaints Committee member, discussed the importance of the complaints mechanism for holding media accountable in the Syrian context. Dr. Halla Almallah, the Complaints Committee member, talked about the standards of the professional and ethical code of conduct, where any violation of these standards warrants a complaint.

Journalist Rafif Al-Sayed answered a question on the importance of the complaints mechanism in northwest Syria, given the presence of several emerging media outlets. In the same session, Ğasan Elcuma, Editor-in-Chief of Hibr Press, addressed whether they had received any complaints and how they handled them, as well as the benefits they gained from signing and adopting the complaints mechanism as a tool for accountability.

Strong Collaboration Among Independent Syrian Media Outlets

The closing remarks of the conference featured a speech by Mahmoud Abdulhadi, a journalist and expert, and a member of the Jury for the ECSM Award for Ethical Journalism. He highlighted the importance of the conference in the Syrian context and congratulated the ECSM on organizing the event and launching the Ethical Journalism Award, which is the first of its kind in the Arab world. He emphasized the need for media outlets to adhere to ethical journalism and encouraged journalists to strive for these principles in their daily work. Abdulhadi also thanked the ECSM for entrusting the Jury with the task of evaluating the entries. He noted that although only three works were awarded, all participating entries successfully expressed the concerns, feelings, and issues of their creators, despite sometimes lacking experience, training, time, or resources. All participants demonstrated a strong understanding of the importance of ethical journalism principles and their application in their daily work.

The three top winners of the ECSM Award for Ethical Journalism 2024 were announced: Hibr Press won first place for their piece titled “Suicide in Northern Syria: Death Outside Official Records”. Radio Rozana secured second place for their story “Samar Found Work After a Long Wait”, and Radio Nasaem Syria took third place with their piece on “Numerous Humanitarian Organizations Meet the Needs of Ghosin Al-Zaytoun Camp”.

Announcing the 1st Ethical Journalism Conference Awards in Syria 2024.

The ECSM launched the ECAM Award for Ethical Journalism in mid-2024, exclusively for ECSM member media outlets. The award aims to strengthen ethical journalism standards and media professionalism among member media outlets while promoting human rights principles.

A total of 10 Syrian media outlets participated in the competition, submitting diverse content, including visual, audio, and written materials. The entries were reviewed, and evaluated, and the top three winners were selected by an expert and independent committee.

The committee included notable Arab and Syrian figures, such as:

• Mona Abdelmaksoud: PhD in Media, Assistant Professor at Cairo University, consultant and trainer in new journalism types and media policies.
• Mahmoud Abdulhadi: Expert in strategic media planning, founder and former director of the Al Jazeera Media Institute, former director of Al Shorouk TV, and a journalist in several Arab media outlets.
• Bashar Narsh: Former Head of Domestic Media at the Syrian Media Ministry, journalist for several Arab sites and magazines since 2009, and member of the Complaints Committee in the ECSM.
• Malaak Swed: Dramatic critic and script consultant at MBC, broadcaster and journalist at BBC Arabic since 2017, jury member of the Gouna Film Festival 2023, and Chair of the Complaints Committee in the ECSM.

The media outlets participating in the ECSM Award for Ethical Journalism were: Radio Nasaem Syria, Hibr Press, Syria Press, Sharqia Post Network, Jesr press, Radio Fresh, Alsharq News, Alrased Network, Radio Rozana, and the Syrian Journalists Association.