The Fifth Floor: The reality of reporting in Syria

During the last year of Bashar al-Assad’s rule of Syria, Reporters Without Borders ranked the country second to last in the World Press Freedom Index. The country was incredibly dangerous for journalists who had to manage strict government censorship. But in December 2024, Assad’s rule was toppled by a swift rebel offensive that took the capital city Damascus within a few days. The country then experienced a level of press freedom it hadn’t seen for decades. Dalia Haidar of BBC Arabic worked as a journalist in Syria whilst Assad was in power, she joins us to describe what it was like and what the hopes are for the future. Plus, a tour of Chiclayo, the Peruvian city Pope Leo XIV used to call home, with José Carlos Cueto from BBC Mundo; and how a Ferrari flag became a symbol of protest, with Slobodan Maričić from BBC Serbian.

Presented by Faranak Amidi

Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia

(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)