Since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Syria’s media landscape has dramatically opened up [Izz Aldien Alqasem/Anadolu via Getty Images]
Syria’s government has begun discussing the outline of a media law that will regulate the country’s journalists and digital creators in what has been described as “a positive step”, according to a Syrian press association.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Information, along with its sub-directorates across Syria, held meetings in Damascus, Aleppo, Hama and Raqqa with journalists and media workers on the new law, which is currently being drafted.
Discussions were held around three key areas, including the regulations on TV channels and news agencies and protections for journalists operating in the field; regulating digital news platforms and social media workers and defining their rights and responsibilities; and establishing the boundaries of free expression, cybercrime, and the social media environment, according to Syrian outlet Enab Baladi.
The outlet also reported that a document circulated by the Ministry of Information during the sessions outlined the purpose of the sessions as guaranteeing three principles.
This includes credibility and professionalism, which aims to combat rumours, falsehoods, disinformation and hate speech; ensuring the media is not “exploited for political purposes” and is restrained from political funding; and regulating journalism to guarantee freedom of opinion and expression, facilitate access to information, and avoid restrictions that would limit media work.
The Syrian Journalists Association (SJA) told The New Arab in a statement that the move by the government was “a positive step and a valuable legislative opportunity to develop Syria’s media environment, aligning it with ongoing developments while safeguarding press freedom, expression, and the rights of all professionals in this vital sector”.
The organisation said that the law’s success rests on expanding the dialogue and participation in drafting the media law, which should also include professional syndicates, independent journalists, private media outlets, legal experts, and academics, as part of a “representative reflection of Syria’s diverse media landscape”.
The SJA added it was ready to contribute to drawing up the legislation, and that it “encourages institutionalising this consultative path by establishing open dialogue mechanisms with independent experts and syndicates, as well as sharing the initial draft for public review within the journalistic community prior to finalisation”.
According to Enab Baladi, discussions across the country covered a wide range of issues, including accountability for journalists who were promoting the former regime, legalising access to information, protecting journalists, allowing union action, defining media work, and combating hate speech and defamation.
The director of the Aleppo Information Directorate reportedly said that the law will go through several stages of writing and workshops before being presented to parliament.
New law should see host of press freedoms
Since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Syria’s media landscape has dramatically opened up, with exiled opposition outlets, including Enab Baladi, returning to the country.
However, in recent months there have been several cases of detentions of journalists and digital creatives, including activist Hassan Akkad, who was detained under Assad-era defamation laws, as well as German journalist Eva Maria Michelmann. Both have since been released.
In June, Syria’s Information Ministry announced restrictions on six categories of content prohibited for publication.
In a statement to The New Arab, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called for the adoption of “a new media law structure that guarantees freedom of press, establishes an independent regulatory body and a transparent and objective accreditation process for both domestic and foreign journalists”.
It said that the government must adopt several standards and structures to ensure press freedom in Syria, including establishing both an independent regulatory body and a transparent accreditation process for domestic and foreign journalists.
Accreditation, the CPJ said, should be “transparent, accessible, and applied without political or security-based discrimination”, with foreign reporters being allowed to report without restrictions on editorial independence.
It added that the government should also adopt legal standards on protecting source confidentiality, prohibiting the disclosure of sources or unpublished material, and ending the intimidation of journalists by state and non-state actors.
“The transitional Syrian authorities should implement an institutional and legal structure that prevents journalists from being deprived of their liberty on account of their professional activities,” CPJ added, noting that justice for journalists murdered by the Assad regime should be done in conjunction with the National Commission for Transitional Justice.