In April 2016, gunmen torched the headquarters of ARTA FM, a Kurdish radio station in the northeastern city of Amouda and threatened to kill its director if he tried to resume broadcasting.įor security reasons, most of these new independent radio stations are based in areas held by the opposition or by the Kurdish forces, or have had to base themselves outside the country to escape the Syrian government’s censorship. These radio stations are exposed to the same dangers as all journalists in what is the world’s deadliest country for media personnel. Stations such as Radio Fresh, based in northern Syria, have proved useful above all at facilitating communication and representation within local communities, even if they face major challenges, especially structural and logistic ones, in the absence of sustained support from external actors and sizeable listener catchment areas. Easy to operate and easy to tune into, dozens of radio stations broadcasting on FM wavelengths or sometimes on the Internet emerged in Syria after the start of the uprising in 2011. Where there is no electricity or Internet, radio adapts to the daily existence of a population caught in the trap of war. Syria: informing communities beset by war The situation in Syria, Africa or North Korea shows that radio can be a powerful tool in the service of the people’s right to reporting that is independent, outspoken and free of any state censorship. UNESCO launched World Radio Day in 2012 to celebrate the importance of radio broadcasting throughout the world and the role that many radio stations play in providing communities with news coverage. “ World Radio Day is an occasion to hail the courage and dedication of radio journalists who, in their own country or in exile, provide freely and independently reported news coverage to peoples experiencing crises or living under authoritarian regimes.” Instead, the answer lies in more debate and media pluralism.īelow, you will find approaches on how to better tackle disinformation and propaganda, whilst safeguarding media freedom.“ At a time of technological revolution and upheavals in the way we provide and obtain news and information, radio plays an essential role in promoting free speech and the right to be informed,” RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said. ![]() Limits on media freedom for the sake of political expediency lead to censorship and, when begun, censorship never stops. However, there is also another type of propaganda, which may be against professional standards and the core values of journalism, but does not necessarily violate international law.Īs previously stated by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, at all times, and especially in difficult times, blocking or banning media outlets is not an answer to the phenomenon of disinformation and propaganda, as it leads to arbitrary and politically motivated actions. ![]() The United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights expressly bans propaganda for war and incitement to certain types of hatred. This means that states may only impose restrictions on the right to freedom of expression and freedom of the media in accordance with international law. The human right to impart information and ideas is not limited to statements deemed “correct” by authorities but extends to information and ideas that may shock, offend and disturb. Freedom of expression as a human right involves a positive obligation of governments to guarantee freedom of the media, which includes promoting and protecting diverse media.
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