Syria’s new media landscape: taking stock one year on

One year after the fall of the Assad regime (December 2024), Syria’s media sector is undergoing its most profound transformation in decades. For the first in decades, Syrians are telling their own stories with greater freedom, shaping narratives once tightly controlled by authoritarian power. This panel examines the emerging post-regime information landscape and the challenges of establishing a democratic, credible, and resilient media ecosystem.

Across the country, media institutions are being rebuilt, legacy state outlets are being restructured, locally led initiatives are expanding, and diaspora media are returning to the scene. Yet profound obstacles remain—weak legal and regulatory frameworks, decades of decayed infrastructure, limited funding, deep social fragmentation, and a long-standing crisis of public trust. Narratives on the ground are equally complex.

The panel will explore how Syria’s emerging media ecosystem is linking past abuses, present realities, and future democratic aspirations by supporting truth and reconciliation processes, strengthening oversight of justice institutions, preserving collective memory, and countering denialism as Syrians reimagine national identity and institutional legitimacy.

By bringing together Hadi Al Khatib, Arwa Damon and Kholoud Helmi, this session offers a critical, first-year assessment of how Syrians are rebuilding their media landscape—and what this pivotal moment means for the country’s democratic future.

Moderated by Jenifer Vaughan.