Since 2012, it has proven to be too dangerous for Western journalists or foreign correspondents to report directly from Syria. Most now file their reports from nearly 300 km away, in Beirut, Lebanon. Or roughly the distance from Ottawa, Ontario to Drummondville, Quebec. How could we possibly expect accurate news given such a distance?
In their place, through either self interest or naivety, “local activists” unable to escape jihadi control have taken over. These sources operate under the complete control of al-Qaeda sponsored news groups like Jabhat al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham.
Below is a list of some of the most questionable propaganda tools:
• Omran Daqneesh, the Aleppo boy
– if his injuries were so bad that he required an ambulance, why were media allowed to take photos of him before he received treatment?
– his image has resurfaced in numerous other photos/videos in several different situations, including in one where he’s about to become beheaded
– from most reports, it appears to be Trauma makeup
• White Helmet staged mannequin challenge rescue videos
– illustrates how easily it would be to stage other rescues
• Seven year old Syrian girl, Bana Alabed who has a verified twitter account
– in an area as badly hit as Eastern Aleppo, how was she able to maintain a twitter account, when many of the city’s remaining residents are without power?
– why would a mother (who is apparently helping her run this account) choose to remain in Aleppo where food and water is scarce?
– how did she become verified on twitter so quickly?
– why is her mother dressed as a jihadist fighter in some of the photos on her original twitter account?
– why was her account registered in the UK?
Part 3 will feature a profile on the city of Aleppo for late Wednesday night.
Media Spin 