Syria: Journalists union seeks to advance media sector reform

The Syrian Journalists Union (SJU), an affiliate of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), held a consultative meeting on 10 February in Damascus to discuss urgent measures to reform and support the media sector in Syria, following the fall of the Syrian regime under Bashar Al Assad in December 2024. The meeting included representatives from the IFJ, journalists, union activists, representatives from media organisations and from the Ministry of Information.

Credit: Nadir Senhadji / IFJ

The discussions focused on the urgent need for measures to unlock the development of the media sector. These included decriminalising press offences, facilitating the regulation and support of the media sector, and developing a framework to ensure the sustainability of private and community media organisations.

This meeting followed the IFJ's previous assessment missionto Syria in September 2025. The mission concluded that the Syrian authorities must take urgent steps to guarantee press freedom and independent journalism in the country. The Syrian media sector continues to operate under a legislative and regulatory framework designed by the previous regime, which enabled it to exercise comprehensive control over the media. Calls for urgent measures stem from the recognition that reforming the legislative and regulatory environment governing journalists and media institutions will take a significant amount of time. In recent months, a working group comprising representatives of independent media and trade union organisations affiliated with the IFJ, including the SJU and the Syrian Journalists Association, conducted an internal consultation process.

The aim of this meeting is to expand the consultation process and to develop a proposal outlining urgent measures that reflect the diversity of the media sector. Participants emphasised the importance of adopting an economic framework that supports media institutions and ensures their financial sustainability, while preserving diversity within the media landscape and promoting its growth. They emphasised that this is the state's responsibility and is essential for serving the public interest.

Participants agreed to further develop and widen this consultative framework to involve representatives from state-owned media, private and non-profit media institutions, as well as legal experts, trade union representatives and the IFJ.

IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger stated: "We welcome the development of this initiative into a consultative process involving the various stakeholders in the media sector. We look forward to it resulting in the adoption of policies that protect journalists and regulate the media sector in accordance with international standards. The IFJ calls on international bodies and organisations to support our colleagues - the women and men journalists in Syria - throughout this process.