Syria Comes to Life With New Online Journal
SPRINGFIELD, VA–The Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN) takes an intimate look at the humanitarian crisis facing Syria through Syria Stories. This online journal follows six Syrians as they blog about the challenges and triumphs of living in and watching their homeland be torn apart by a civil war.
“Syria Stories gives readers insight into the daily lives of Syrians. Whether they are writing about a life changing event; or the struggle of finding food and clean water, each of these bloggers opens up their lives, including their hopes and fears as they stake a claim to each day,” stated MBN President Brian Conniff. “They are very courageous to share their stories with the rest of the world.”
The six individuals– Louise, Furat, Waleed, Sindbad, Sasha and Basel—come from diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds to give readers different perspectives of the Syrian conflict. Some still live in Syria; while others live in refugee camps or neighboring countries.
To protect their identities, each contributor was illustrated and given pseudonyms. Candidates were selected and screened through Syria Stories Facebook page, the Syria Stories website and interpersonal connections with MBN employees. Selected from several dozen candidates each participant chosen for the final six slots had a strong desire to share their experiences of the two-year Syrian conflict with the rest of the world.
Although launched in 2013, Syria Stories is collecting narratives from the participants retroactively going back to the beginning of the Syrian civil war in March 2011, allowing audiences to read their story arc that brought them to where they are today.
Click here for more information about Syria Stories and to hear from the team behind the project.
Syria Stories is produced in partnership with the Broadcasting Board of Governors Office of Digital Design and Innovation (ODDI). The non-profit corporation the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc. operates Alhurra Television, Radio Sawa and MBN Digital. MBN is financed by the U.S. Government through a grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), an independent federal agency. The BBG provides oversight and serves as a firewall to protect the professional independence and integrity of the broadcasters.