The Syrian Media Academy concluded, on Saturday, the national 'Words Build' campaign in partnership with the Ministry of Media and the United Nations Development Programme, aiming to raise awareness about the dangers of hate speech and misinformation and to consolidate responsible practices in content dissemination through media and social media platforms.
The Academy's director, Ibrahim al-Sharif, clarified that the campaign sought to transform the concept from a slogan into a daily responsible behavior, by encouraging users to think about the impact of what they publish on social cohesion or the deepening of divisions. He noted that the campaign extended to more than ten Syrian governorates and achieved more than 24 million views on social media platforms within a month of its launch.
Al-Sharif added that the monitoring and follow-up operations conducted by the Academy during the period from the 6th to the 31st of October documented 70 separate media materials across 21 publishing entities and platforms, including 61 materials related to the campaign, in addition to 28 reposts, bringing the total number of monitoring records to 119. The entities that covered the campaign included official and private media, such as SANA News Agency, Al-Ikhbariya, and various newspapers, radio stations, and television channels.
Al-Sharif explained that the campaign's messages focused on the importance of verifying information, respecting differences in viewpoints, and raising awareness of the distinction between freedom of expression and hate speech, noting that expressing an opinion is a guaranteed right but loses its responsible character when it turns into insult, offense, or incitement to hatred. He pointed out that confronting media disinformation holds special importance in the diverse Syrian society with its varied cultural and social backgrounds.
The launch of the campaign comes within the framework of the 'Enhancing National Media Capacities to Confront Hate Speech and Build Peace in Syria' project, which lasted for six months. During this period, the Ministry of Media and the Syrian Media Academy, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, implemented 35 training programs in nine governorates, benefiting more than 775 trainees.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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