In Focus: Sherry Al-Hayak from Syria

Sherry Al-Hayek began blogging in 2008 while studying architecture in Chicago. She now lives in the Turkish capital and often travels to the Turkish-Syrian border to gather as much information as she can for her blog . In 2012 she won a DW BOBs Award for the blog category "Best Social Activism Campaign".

During a 12-day DW Akademie workshop recently held in Istanbul she learned the basics of video journalism hands-on, together with Syrian citizen journalists currently based in Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon. Participants produced video reports that focused primarily on the role and challenges facing Syrian women refugees and as a way to raise public awareness.

Given that you're a blogger, what made you decide to get involved in video journalism?
Sherry Al-Hayak: These days we live in a world that’s made up of images, and video journalism is one of the tools that we can use for our blogs. I can easily post videos on my personal blog and still be considered a blogger.

Is it possible to cover stories that look critically at Syrians and Syrian society?

Yes, but it depends on the kind of criticism we’re talking about. There isn’t a problem as long as you can understand and analyze the current situation in Syria, and take into account the past three years and the things that people in Syria are experiencing on a daily basis. The al-Jumhuriya website and the independent film production company Abounaddara Films, for example, are generally doing a good job. The real problem arises when criticism comes from people who aren’t looking at the picture as a whole.

What role are journalism and journalists playing in the Syrian conflict?
I think that Syrian journalism is creating a new type of journalism that will soon be studied and better understood. The Syrian revolution is being documented largely by citizen journalists, despite the fact that they haven’t had any professional training. But who says that citizen journalists can’t be professional?
Citizen journalists are being kidnapped and killed every day in Syria because they’re playing such an important role in revealing the truth. It’s true that journalists do this elsewhere in the world, but the situation in Syria is much more complex.

What is the biggest challenge for you as a journalist?
As far as Syria is concerned I think one of the greatest challenges ahead will be finding a good story. These days in Syria there are stories on every corner that contain details that should be documented and brought to life. But the media tends to cover stories it thinks are typically “hot" or sad and that are aimed at making people cry. I don’t like working on stories like that - people are tired of hearing the same thing over and over again. We need to find stories that better reflect Syrian people and that create an understanding of the Syrian context.

What were you able to learn at the DW Akademie workshop?

I’d always wanted to know more about the things that we learned here and so the workshop has been an important step. It’s great to make a story come to life through videos, and editing was the thing I liked most.

What is the situation for women journalists in Syria?

It’s a difficult field for women, especially in societies that are male-dominated. But with the revolution, people are better accepting that women are fighting for freedom side-by-side with men.
In the early days of the revolution women were often covering stories, taking photos and producing videos just like the male journalists were. This could bring about more equality in journalism. Even though it’s still easier for men, things are starting to change.