The Fifth Floor: The reality of reporting in Syria

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.)

Jaksot(2000)

Steel from shipwrecks

Steel from shipwrecks

In recent years component parts of historic shipwrecks have started to disappear, with reports of mysterious vessels and scavengers floating around. This phenomenon has been reported in Indonesia, Aus...

7 Joulu 202526min

Reporting the Nigerian school kidnappings

Reporting the Nigerian school kidnappings

More than 300 children were kidnapped from a school in the Western Nigerian village of Papiri in November, but in the aftermath, accounts of the kidnappings were confused and misleading. BBC Africa's ...

6 Joulu 202526min

Australia’s under-16 social media ban

Australia’s under-16 social media ban

From 10 December, Australian children under 16 will be banned from most social media platforms including TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat. The ban is designed to protect teenagers from harmful ...

6 Joulu 202523min

The mosque for Bangladesh’s transgender women

The mosque for Bangladesh’s transgender women

On the banks of the Brahmaputra River, a remote village in northern Bangladesh serves as a sanctuary for the hijra (transgender) community, a once-revered but now persecuted group. In March 2024, a mo...

5 Joulu 202526min

Made in Russia: The Kremlin’s economic rebrand

Made in Russia: The Kremlin’s economic rebrand

How Moscow is working around international sanctions: promoting self-sustainability, elevating Russian brands and deepening trade with friendly countries. After Western companies retreated as the full...

4 Joulu 202534min

From rocks to riches

From rocks to riches

Meteorites are pieces of space rocks, which having survived a fiery journey through the atmosphere, land on the earth’s surface. No-one knows the exact number which make it to the ground each year, bu...

3 Joulu 202526min

Joana Vasconcelos: Mask of mirrors

Joana Vasconcelos: Mask of mirrors

The Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos is renowned for her large-scale sculptural pieces which have featured in galleries across the world. She has used materials such as fabric, plastic and even tam...

1 Joulu 202526min

Young and stateless

Young and stateless

What does it mean to belong nowhere? Across the world, millions of people are denied citizenship and live without a country to call their own. It is estimated half of these are children. The majority ...

30 Marras 202555min

Suosittua kategoriassa Yhteiskunta

olipa-kerran-otsikko
siita-on-vaikea-puhua
i-dont-like-mondays
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
kolme-kaannekohtaa
poks
antin-palautepalvelu
sita
aikalisa
mamma-mia
yopuolen-tarinoita-2
kaksi-aitia
rss-murhan-anatomia
rss-ootsa-kuullut-tasta
rss-palmujen-varjoissa
meidan-pitais-puhua
rss-nikotellen
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
rss-haudattu
terapeuttiville-qa