As a new chapter begins in war-torn Syria following the stunning collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s decades-long rule, the country’s notorious state media apparatus finds itself in uncharted territory. The Syrian Arab News Agency, known as Sana, had long served as a key propaganda tool for the Assad regime, demonizing opposition groups and downplaying government atrocities during the devastating 12-year conflict. But with Assad now in exile and a transitional government taking the reins, Sana’s new leadership is vowing to break from the past and transform the agency into a credible news source.
Leading this daunting task is Zyad Mahameed, a 32-year-old former media operative for the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which now heads the caretaker government. Mahameed, who had previously viewed Sana as his “opposition” while producing slick videos for the rebel faction, expressed shock at the outdated equipment and software still in use at the agency’s Damascus headquarters. “The short-term goal here is to retrain the journalists and have real, professional staff,” he asserted. “The long-term goal is to make Sana a proper international news agency. It can be a governmental agency, sure – but not a mouthpiece of the regime.”
However, questions linger over just how much editorial independence can flourish under an HTS-led administration. The group itself has a checkered record on press freedom, having previously detained and killed journalists during its earlier incarnation as an Al-Qaeda affiliate. When pressed on whether Sana would be permitted to one day criticize Syria’s new rulers, Mahameed offered a cryptic reply: “We don’t know yet. We can neither confirm nor deny.”
Tongue of the Government No More?
Sana’s veteran journalists and broadcasters, while cautiously optimistic, are adopting a wait-and-see approach to their new leadership’s lofty promises of reform. Mazen Eyoun, a longtime writer who described the agency under Assad as “the tongue of the government,” said he was looking forward to moving beyond what he called the “wooden language” of the past. “We’re waiting for actions, not words,” he stressed, noting that concrete steps toward cementing press freedom have yet to materialize.
His colleague, Houssam Hijazi, the news anchor who solemnly announced Assad’s flight from Damascus on state TV, shares in the uncertainty. While hailing it as his proudest professional moment after years of reading regime propaganda on air, Hijazi expressed doubts about his own future now that rebel commanders are calling the shots. With some 4,000 state media employees currently out of work, he worries that an inexperienced transitional government could opt to shutter outlets like Syrian TV rather than undertake the hard work of rebuilding.
“Sometimes I felt sad, sometimes ashamed. I knew the news we broadcast was fake.”
– Houssam Hijazi, reflecting on his tenure as a news anchor under the Assad regime
Media Landscape in Flux
As former regime mouthpieces enter an uncertain transition, Syria’s beleaguered independent media sector is seizing the opportunity to demand long-overdue reforms. A coalition of outlets has called for the abolition of the dreaded Information Ministry, which served as the Assad government’s censorship arm, along with firm legal protections for freedom of expression. Journalists are also advocating for accountability, with many clamoring for the prosecution of regime officials who systematically harassed, imprisoned, and killed media workers to silence dissent.
Mahameed, for his part, has sought to temper expectations around how quickly Sana can transform into a beacon of free and fair reporting. “The Syrian people are yet to experience free expression, and so they need time to be able to practise it,” he cautioned. Nonetheless, the broader challenges of reforming Syria’s sclerotic state institutions while maintaining stability in the wake of Assad’s ouster could force the caretaker government’s hand. With the risk of renewed unrest ever-present, cultivating a degree of public trust in official messaging will be crucial.
As the dust settles on Syria’s post-Assad future, the fate of its sprawling propaganda apparatus remains a key test for the country’s fledgling leaders. If Sana and its sister outlets can chart a new course as credible information sources, it could mark a symbolic break from a dark past and a tentative step toward rebuilding a shattered nation. But the road ahead is long and treacherous, with no guarantees. For now, Syrians will be left to wonder: after decades of serving as a megaphone for dictatorship, can the “tongue of the government” learn to speak for the people?
