Ethical Charter for Syrian Media (ECSM)

A Syrian network currently comprising 19 independent Syrian media foundations with a wide variety of productions including newspapers, magazines, radio stations, a TV channel, news websites and news agencies. ECSM Network has its own set of legislation and activities designed to promote ethics and professionalism among the teams of member-foundations. Ethical Charter for Syrian Media aims at producing media content free from hate speech; and enriched with the principles of gender-equality, accuracy, credibility, honesty and fairness.

ECSM is an independent non-profit pluralistic civil-society organization which does not adhere to any governmental, political, or faith-based entities.

ECSM became active on 14/06/2015 in Istanbul, when 20 Syrian media foundations signed the first professional and ethical document governing the Syrian media industry. It was after ongoing collective debates among journalists from several media foundations backboned by international media consultants.

ECSM is currently registered in Turkey as an organization (no. 142-021-27 dated May 2018). Its scope of work is not limited to institutions inside Syria but covers Syrian foundations anywhere.

The Ethical Charter Code stem from internationally adopted standards and peer projects. All members abide to its inclusive values for highly moral professionalism within an autonomous framework ensuring independence and freedom of the press.

ECSM requires independence and adherence to the ethical charter code from all Syrian media foundations aspiring to join.

ECSM commits to ethical and professional principles. It is, hereby, fully complied with fair practices, governance, and transparency commonly adopted by all international civil society organizations.

The ECSM aspires to further consolidated the ethical charter code within the context of Syrian media through actively spreading modern professional skills and knowledge within member foundations.

The ECSM aims at offering consultancy to member foundations on vital international issues of professionalism and ethics in a manner appropriate to the Syrian specialty.

The ECSM looks forward to cooperating and networking with all counterpart ethical media networks all over the world.

The ECSM works on achieving three objectives:

1- Strengthening and promoting of the professional media ethics among members

2- Reception, investigation, and handling of complaints against media outlets content of member foundations.

3- Networking among member foundations and arranging the Syrian media sector.