Following a statement from the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) and significant criticism from analysts, journalists, and individuals both inside and outside of Idlib, Al-Monitor has retracted an article originally published on August 27. This article had negatively portrayed the residents, governing bodies in Idlib, and several revolutionary military groups.
In a statement released on Friday, the editorial staff of the online publication stated, โAl-Monitor has retracted the article titled โWomen recount harrowing experiences in Syriaโs trafficking networksโ authored by freelance contributor Essam Sabry Hafez, published on Aug. 27, 2023.โ They added that they could not โverify the accuracy of certain elements in the storyโ and expressed โregretโ for any โconfusionโ caused by the unfounded claims presented in the article. They also assured readers that the article had been removed from all โdatabases and social media platforms.โ
While the retraction and removal were necessary steps, this incident highlights a broader, unaddressed issue: a trend of neglecting journalistic standards and principles when reporting on the Syrian revolution and the liberated northern territories. This concern was echoed by Syrian journalist Fared Al Mahlool in an article for the online magazine Hurriya.
Mahlool pointed out that โa closer examination of Al-Monitor’s claimed impartiality reveals a troubling bias, particularly in their coverage of the ongoing Syrian revolution. This concerning trend is intensified by the fact that many of these articles are written by journalists affiliated with pro-Assad, pro-Hezbollah media outlets.โ
These observations are not new. A 2013 article by Lee Smith drew similar conclusions, stating that โthe views of the Assad government are prominently featured in the siteโs โLebanon Pulseโ section. This section often emphasizes translated material from pro-Hezbollah, pro-Assad media sources, as well as original content produced for Al-Monitor by writers who also contribute to pro-Hezbollah, pro-Assad media.โ
While such retractions are a step in the right direction, the readiness to publish โarticlesโ and โreportsโ based on hearsay and without thorough investigation, as demonstrated by both Al-Monitor and Al-Hadth, is indicative of a “recurring pattern,” according to Mahlool. He states, โThe reputation of Syria’s Idlib province is consistently tarnished, often by relying on questionable eyewitness accounts, which might even be fabricated by the authors themselves.โ
