They have been the laughing stock of most Syrian netizens with conspiracy theories by the bucket-load but for a few, Dounia TV is a very real representation of the Syrian revolution.
Dounia, although not technically a Syrian state-owned TV station, is about as close to the Assad regime as it gets. The Syrian president’s cousin owns the network and makes his loyalties clear in his news coverage.
While bombs explode and gunfire spatters across screen, Dounia journalists are reporting ‘all clear.’ These news broadcasts, alongside conspiracy theories of Barcelona football players using their passes to send messages to the Syrian opposition, has made Dounia an object of ridicule.
However, the mood turned more seriously against Dounia after they sent news anchor, Micheline Azar, to the scene of one of the worst massacres in Syria. She was shown interviewing dying old ladies and interrogating children surrounded by dead bodies.
With mic in-hand, Azar was determined to get traumatized, recently orphaned, kids to tell her that opposition forces were responsible for their personal tragedies.
It made for harrowing viewing and the Syrian online community were clear: this was a step too far. But despite the backlash, owner Rami Makhlouf shows no signs of disrupting the pro-Assad viewing as he enjoys the profits from his home in Dubai.
