BBC accreditation revoked in Syria over 'misleading reports': Ministry

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
8 Jul 2023 23:33
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A spokesperson for the UK broadcaster claims that "BBC News Arabic provides impartial independent journalism" and speaks "to people across the political spectrum to establish the facts".

A man taking a photo of the BBC Headquarters in London, UK in October 2022 (AP)

BBC's accreditation has been canceled in Syria on Saturday due to what the country called "misleading reports".

Syria's information ministry said in a statement: "Due to the broadcaster's failure to adhere to professional standards and its insistence on providing biased and misleading reports", adding that it decided to "cancel the accreditation" of the BBC's "correspondent and cameraman".

BBC Radio correspondent's accreditation in Syria was also revoked.

A spokesperson for the UK broadcaster claims that "BBC News Arabic provides impartial independent journalism" and speaks "to people across the political spectrum to establish the facts", without directly commenting on the move in Syria.

"We will continue to provide impartial news and information to our audiences across the Arabic-speaking world," the spokesperson added.

The information ministry continued to comment that the broadcaster has "from time to time provided subjective and fake information and reports about the reality" ever since Syria's war broke out in 2011. Furthermore, the ministry declared that the BBC was warned "more than once" but "continued to broadcast its misleading reports based on statements... from terrorist entities and those hostile to Syria".

Revoking the accreditation of international media representatives is rare for Damascus, where the few remaining foreign media outlets have locally-based correspondents.

Many foreign journalists quit the country as the war spiraled, pulling in foreign powers and global jihadists.