Working Group on Syria Propaganda and Media
 Working Group on Syria Propaganda and Media(Working group)    | |
|---|---|
| Interests | Syria, Propaganda |
| Membership | • Louis Allday • Oliver Boyd-Barrett •  T.J. Coles•  Tim Hayward• Divya Jha •  Adam Larson• Jake Mason • Tara McCormack • Paul McKeigue •  David Miller•  Jan Oberg•  Piers Robinson• Simone Rudolphi • Greg Simons • Florian Zollmann |
The Working Group on Syria Propaganda and Media is made up of academics and PhD students from a variety of UK universities. It was convened by Piers Robinson. It is critical of the UK commercially-controlled media reporting about Syria, and has in turn been criticised by them.
Official narrative
The group has no entry on Wikipedia. Its own website declares:[1]
This working group aims to facilitate research and debate with respect to the 2011-present war in Syria and the role of both media and propaganda. In all wars, truth and reality are profoundly contested whilst media frequently struggle to maintain independence and autonomy in the face of propaganda strategies pursued by combatants and participants, both internal and external. The war in Syria is no exception. At present there exists an urgent need for rigorous academic analysis of media reporting of this war, the role that propaganda has played in terms of shaping perceptions of the conflict and how these relate to broader geo-strategic process within the ME region and beyond. With these needs in mind, this working group has been established in order to encourage networking amongst academics as well as the development of conference papers and panels, articles and research monographs, and the development of research funding bids. We also aim to provide a source of reliable, informed and timely analysis for journalists, publics and policymakers.
Corporate media response
Brian Whitaker, former Middle East editor of the Guardian wrote in February 2018 that the group (which then numbered three professors, two lecturers and three postgraduate researchers) seemed "more like a propaganda exercise than a serious academic project."
The Times wrote that the group was "spreading pro-Assad disinformation". Tim Hayward wrote that "a question thoughtful readers will likely be asking is why The Times has gone the trouble it has to give such prominence to a small group of critical academics."
Known members
8 of the 19 of the members already have pages here:
| Member | Description |
|---|---|
| Vanessa Beeley | British investigative journalist focused on the Middle East. Helped expose the White Helmets. |
| Philip Hammond (academic) | |
| Tim Hayward | |
| Adam Larson | |
| Paul McKeigue | |
| David Miller | Founder of Powerbase & Spinwatch and incisive anti-Zionist reporter on world affairs |
| Piers Robinson | One of "Assad's Useful Idiots", a deep political researcher, founded the Working Group on Propaganda and the 9/11 global "War on Terror" |
| Jan Øberg | Danish/Swedish peace researcher |
