麻豆社

During the last year of Bashar al-Assad鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檛 seen for decades. Dalia Haidar of 麻豆社 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 Jos茅 Carlos Cueto from 麻豆社 Mundo; and how a Ferrari flag became a symbol of protest, with Slobodan Mari膷i膰 from 麻豆社 Serbian.

Presented by Faranak Amidi
Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Alice Gioia

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