Western journalists return to Syria

Return of press for first time since being expelled in March suggests Syrian regime willing to engage in propaganda war A trickle of western journalists is being allowed back in to Damascus – under close supervision by government minders – suggesting Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s regime is sufficiently concerned about its hold on power to be willing to engage in a foreign propaganda war. Sky News anchor Jeremy Thompson was reporting from Damascus on Friday , and CNN’s Arwan Damon, who is of Syrian and American descent, broadcast from the capital on Thursday. The Sunday Times has a reporter in the country, but declined to confirm their identity on Friday. Foreign journalists were expelled from the country shortly after unrest began in March, and have been concentrating their efforts on the Turkish border, where Syrians have been gathering in refugee camps to escape military crackdowns. Speaking during a government-arranged tour of the apparently quiet streets of Damascus today, Thompson said: “The very fact that we are here, the first foreign journalists to be allowed visas in three or four months … suggests that the government is concerned that its message isn’t getting out, that the rest of the world misunderstands what they’re doing … and if anything that the propaganda machine of the opposition… is winning the hearts and minds at the moment.” Thompson is hoping to speak to members of the Assad government in the next few days and claimed that the feeling within Damascus was that if he were to lose his grip on power “it could bring terrible instability and most people don’t want that despite the protest movement in this country”. Thompson secured his 15-day visa shortly after an interview with Assad adviser Bouthaina Shaaban on Monday. Sky News executives spent the following days requesting permission to return to Syria from Shaaban, fellow Syrian spokesperson Reema Haddad and the Syrian embassy in London. Head of international news Sarah Whitehead attributed the breakthrough to “good old-fashioned news gathering persistence”. It is understood there are no formal reporting restrictions, but Thompson will need to tread carefully. Whitehead said: “We are there because the Syrians have given us a visa and we hope to report as freely as we can but we’ll have to see how it develops over the coming days.” Thompson currently anchors Live at Five with Jeremy Thompson. A seasoned foreign correspondent, he has reported on dozens of wars and conflicts for the BBC and ITN. In 1999, he was the first TV newsman to broadcast live as British peacekeeping forces rolled into Kosovo. CNN’s Damon filmed in Damascus on Thursday, accompanied by minders, and was shown street vendors selling pro-government paraphernalia and a restaurant speaker blaring music in praise of Bashar. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly “for publication”. • To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook Sky News War reporting The news on TV Television Television industry TV news BSkyB Syria Middle East Arab and Middle East unrest Juliette Garside guardian.co.uk

Posted by on June 24, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.