Enab Baladi
 Logo with Motto | |
 The 24 January 2025 front page of Enab Baladi issue #674 | |
| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Owner | Enab Baladi - Nonprofit Media Organization |
| Editor-in-chief | Jawad Sharbaji |
| Managing editor | Ammar Ziadeh, Bilal Abo Laban |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Language | Arabic English |
| Headquarters | Darayya, Syria (2011–2013) Istanbul, Turkey (2013–2025) Damascus, Syria (2025–present)[1] |
| Country | Syria |
| Circulation | 7,000 (Weekly) |
| Website | www english |
| Free online archives | en |
Enab Baladi (Arabic: عنب بلدي, lit. 'Grapes of My Country') is a Syrian nonprofit media organization that publishes a newspaper with the same name, in Arabic and English. It was established in Darayya, Syria, in 2011, and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.[2]
History and profile
[edit]Enab Baladi newspaper was launched in 2011 by a group of citizen journalists and activists from Daraya, a Syrian town in the suburbs of Damascus. On January 29, 2012, its first issue was published. Since then, it has been printed each week on Sundays, with one two-week stoppage in August 2012 due to the Darayya massacre committed by Assad forces.
Since its establishment during the first year of the Syrian uprising, Enab Baladi (EB) has focused on promoting peaceful resistance methods to counter the sectarian and violent narratives of the Syrian regime. EB coverage included the human rights violations perpetrated by the Syrian regime, as well as the inception of the nascent Syrian civil society, in addition to various news and topics in the fields of politics, economy, and social affairs.
Growth
[edit]The newspaper evolved from an amateur-run organization into one of the most prominent Syrian media organizations, according to the BBC Syria profile page.[3]
Currently, Enab Baladi produces a weekly newspaper, an online news service in Arabic and English, and a print media archive.[4][5][6][7] These projects are supported by a network of reporters and journalists who provide reports from the ground in Syria.
Enab Baladi has drawn the attention of several local and international media channels. Its story appeared in Der Spiegel,[8] The Guardian,[9] and AFP News[10], among others. The French magazine Elle also published an article about EB's women's team.[11] As of May 2015[update], approximately ten women worked as reporters, editors, and translators for the organization. The article tells the story of one of them, Kholoud Waleed, and highlights the role that women played in establishing the newspaper, the challenges they faced during their work as citizen journalists in Syria, and the success they achieved.
Partnerships, alliances, and coalitions
[edit]Enab Baladi built relationships with several international organizations, including the National Endowment for Democracy, Internews, Free Press Unlimited, European Endowment for Democracy, l'Association de Soutien aux Médias Libres, Adopt a Revolution, L'agence française de coopération médias, Norwegian People's Aid, and International Media Support.[12]
Enab Baladi also joined several alliances and coalitions:
- The Ethical Journalism for Syria Alliance (EJSA), which is funded by Free Press Unlimited, has partnered with over thirty Syrian independent media organizations. It aims to restore and promote the fundamental rights of freedom of speech, thought, and expression in Syria through a gender-sensitive, multi-level approach.[13]
- The International Coalition of Sites of Conscience (ICSC), which focuses on documenting the oral heritage of the Syrian conflict.[14]
- The Syrian Network for Printed Media (SNP), which has partnered with four other Syrian independent newspapers to print and distribute news both inside and outside the country.[15]
- The Syrian Regional Program (SRP), which provides media exposure for Local Councils in Syria, and the Assistance Coordination Unit (ACU), that produces multimedia reports on local initiatives across the country.[16]
After the fall of the Assad regime
[edit]In a 2024 interview with German cultural magazine Kulturaustausch, Enab Baladi co-founder Kholoud Helmi described the organisation’s ongoing work as an attempt to provide “an alternative to propaganda and hate” in post-conflict Syria. According to Helmi, the organisation’s reopening of an office in Damascus, the resumption of its print edition, and the launch of journalist-training programmes are intended to maintain a local presence and safeguard spaces for ethical reporting. She noted that the publication continues to face financial and operational difficulties following the withdrawal of some international donors. After President Trump stopped funding for Syria, Enab Baldai lost USAID-related funding, such as that from the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX).[17]
Another challenge are heightened security concerns for staff. Not all of the editors in Turkey, Germany and elsewhere, who are part of the organization's extended team, are planning to return to Syria. The Ministry of Information has received copies of the newspaper, and ministers as well as other officials in the government have largely been helpful and answering most questions. Despite operating with what Helmi termed a “margin of freedom,” she cautioned that this situation could change if government restrictions should tighten.[17]
Awards
[edit]The newspaper has won two awards through its co-founders: Majd Sharbaji, who received the U.S. State Department’s Women of Courage Award, and Kholoud Helmi, who received the 2015 Anna Politkovskaya Award.[18][19]
References
[edit]- ^ "Once Again... Enab Baladi in Damascus". Enab Baladi. 2025-01-24. Retrieved 2025-01-24.
- ^ "About us". Enab Baladi. Retrieved 2022-07-27.
- ^ "BBC Syria Media Profile". Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- ^ "Enab Baladi Weekly Newspaper". Archived from the original on 24 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- ^ "Enab Online News Service Website". Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- ^ "Syrian Print-Media Archive". Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- ^ "Enab Baladi English". Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- ^ Koelbl, Susanne (2013-02-04). "The Fight for Syria Has Engulfed the Capital Damascus". Der Spiegel. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- ^ staff, Foreign (2012-05-22). "The Syrian local newspapers creating a voice for the revolution". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- ^ AFP (2012-09-27). "Revolutionary press blooms underground in Syria". Al Arabiya. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- ^ Asquith, Christina (5 May 2015). "This "Gang of Girls" Risks Their Lives to Report From Inside a War Zone". ELLE. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ "Syrian Independent Media Outlet Celebrates 10 Years". National Endowment for Democracy. 2022-11-01. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- ^ "Ethical Journalism for Syria Alliance (EJSA) - Free Press Unlimited". Free Press Unlimited. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ "Enab Baladi (Syria) | Sites of Conscience". Sites of Conscience. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ "SNP – الشبكة السورية للإعلام المطبوع". SNP (in Arabic). Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ "Syria Regional Program". Archived from the original on 2019-08-14. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
- ^ a b ""We offer an alternative to propaganda and hate" - Interview with Kholoud Helmi". Kulturaustausch. 2025-07-08. Retrieved 2025-11-04.
- ^ "Deputy Secretary Higginbottom to Honor 10 International Women of Courage". U.S. State Department. 3 March 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
- ^ "RAW in WAR honors Kholoud Waleed with the 2015 Anna Politkovskaya Award". Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.