Truth as the basis for peace

Damascus, Syria. The seminar room is in darkness, with only the cold blue of the screens illuminating the concentrated faces. The trainer presses play – a video of an Alawite shrine burning appears on the sceen. Using their newly acquired techniques, the young journalists spot the false claim within minutes. The video was recorded on 2 December 2024 during the capture of Aleppo. When it began recirculating online on 25 December, unknown sources deliberately misrepresented the three-week-old footage as showing a current event. Violent conflicts ensued.

In polarised times, a single video clip can be enough to start the spread of rumours and add fuel to conflicts. Decades of oppression have left deep wounds: censorship, surveillance and arbitrary arrests under the Assad regime meant that no independent reporting could take place. Many Syrian journalists have never had the opportunity to practise responsible journalism. 

In Syria today, far more people can spread information themselves – via social media, messaging apps and other digital channels. This makes it all the more important to be able to distinguish reliable news from manipulative content. Various social and political groups are using this new range of voices and information and are strategically deploying images and content to promote their narratives. Doaa Moslly, a young journalist who took part in the school of journalism pilot project, described the situation as follows: 

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) therefore provided support to set up a school for journalism in Damascus on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Amal News, a non-profit media organisation that supports refugee journalists and is committed to establishing an independent media landscape in their countries of origin, runs the project jointly with the Syrian organisation Taqaddum (Center for Dialogue and Peacebuilding).

It began with a six-month pilot project. Young journalists from print, online and radio media outlets as well as political influencers learned how to identify disinformation and provide conflict-sensitive reporting – to ensure that their journalism does not add fuel to existing tensions. The school was finally opened officially a few weeks ago. A modern video studio and well-equipped computer rooms offer  students a space for creative working. The rooms are sublet in the Syrian Media Academy. Participants learn to distinguish between reliable content and misleading information and to check sources critically. They then share their knowledge within their newsrooms and communities.

The team of trainers from Amal News conveys more than just technical knowledge in the course units. The focus is on sensitive, people-centred reporting. The cohort purposely brings together Syrians of different backgrounds and denominations and thus reflects the diversity of Syrian society. They share their experiences and talk about their hopes for the future. This dialogue is an important part of the training – because participants who get to know and understand different perspectives can also report on conflicts with greater sensitivity. Taqaddum (Center for Dialogue and Peacebuilding) contributes its extensive network and long-standing experience in dialogue and trust-building.

The three-month training culminates in an internship at a Syrian media organisation. The aim is to ensure that the graduates find good jobs and that media outlets work more professionally. Many of the pilot project’s graduates are now trainers themselves and are passing on their knowledge to the next generation. They are thus helping to restore trust in the media in Syria and supporting the country’s democratic reconstruction.