Independent Syrian radio goes on air from Paris

With close to 100,000 civilian casualties and over 80 news providers killed over the past two years, Syria’s need for independent, professional journalism has never been greater. Radio Rozana sets out to fill the information gap. Since the conflict broke out in March 2011, reporting from inside Syria has been a life-threatening endeavor for both national and international news providers. The result has been a flow of unverified information. A new radio station run by Syrian journalists, broadcasting online in Arabic language at www.rozana.fm will channel content from professional local journalists located across the country in every governorate, with the aim of providing Syrians inside and outside the country with independent and reliable information in the ongoing conflict. “In the ongoing Syrian conflict there is a massive need for independent, professional journalism to keep citizens and refugees informed about political, social and humanitarian developments in the country to contribute to the development of a free and democratic society in Syria,” says Lina Chawaf, Programme Manager at Radio Rozana. “Radio Rozana seeks to meet this need by covering the daily life in the shadow of the conflict by giving a voice to civilians caught in it, and through critical analyses free from political, religious or other types of bias,” she adds. Radio Rozana launches on 26 June as a joint initiative between Syrian journalists inside and outside the country. The daily two-hour broadcasts in Arabic consist of news and analysis, talkshows, reportages, live-reporting, and debates with people inside and outside Syria. Radio Rozana is staffed by 30 Syrian journalists on the ground and five in Paris, and will broadcast by internet and later by satellite. The radio also provides the international community with unique on-the-ground perspectives from inside Syria through news, opinion articles and video reports on www.rozana.fm. Radio Rozana is supported by: Canal France International: www.cfi.fr Fédération internationale des ligues de droits de l’homme: www.fidh.org International Media Support (IMS): www.i-m-s.dk Radio Netherlands: www.rnw.nl Reporters sans frontières: oufhjezmsy.tudasnich.de