Envoy outlines Syria’s efforts to build free and responsible media

NEW YORK: Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ibrahim Olabi, outlined government initiatives to build a free, responsible media sector committed to truth and press freedom.

He was speaking at a meeting of the Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly on Agenda Item 51, titled “Questions relating to Information.” Olabi highlighted ongoing media reforms, including introducing a professional and ethical code of conduct and restructuring state media.

He condemned ongoing Israeli attacks on Syrian journalists in southern Syria, as well as restrictions and attempts to hinder accurate reporting. Olabi stated that biased media coverage by the deposed regime, characterized by misinformation and concealment of the true causes of the 2011 protests, was a key factor in their outbreak.