Basma Syria
ARK-created Syrian media production and distribution platform for messaging the moderate opposition inside Syria; trained stringers and produced content under UK/US-funded programmes
| Basma | |
|---|---|
| Type | Media production and distribution platform |
| Logo | |
| Founded | c. 2012 |
| Founder(s) | ARK Group (created and managed) |
| Dissolved | |
| Registration ID | |
| Status | Operational during peak Syria programming (c. 2012–2018) |
| Headquarters | Gaziantep, Turkey (production team); stringer networks inside Syria |
| Location | |
| Area served | |
| Services | Content production (video, radio, print, social media); training of activists and stringers; distribution inside Syria; messaging to counter regime and violent-extremist narratives |
| Registration | |
| Key people | Managed by ARK Group; production teams in Gaziantep; network of Basma-trained stringers |
| Website | |
| Remarks | Evaluated positively by DSTL and i2i in 2014; nine of Al Jazeera’s 16 stringers in Syria were Basma-trained; Facebook page reported to have over 500,000 followers |
Basma (Arabic for “fingerprint”) is a Syrian media production and distribution platform created and managed by ARK Group as part of UK- and US-funded strategic-communications programmes. It was designed to message directly inside Syria in support of the moderate opposition, train citizen journalists and stringers, and counter regime and violent-extremist narratives. ARK documents describe Basma as a hub around which moderate-opposition media activity revolved; a 2014 DSTL assessment called it “a mature and professional organisation capable of messaging within Syria.”[1][2]
Purpose and activities
ARK created the Basma brand as a Syrian-led platform capable of producing and distributing content (video reports, social-media posts, radio material and print) that could reach audiences inside Syria. Core functions included:
- Training and equipping activists in camera handling, lighting, sound, report production, journalistic safety, online security and non-sectarian reporting.
- Maintaining a network of stringers and distribution partners inside Syria and among the external opposition and diaspora.
- Operating an all-Syrian production team (primarily based in Gaziantep) producing high-quality content, including animations, songs and long-form reports.
- Creating closed online groups for mentoring and feedback.
- Facilitating contact between opposition figures and international media.
ARK materials state that through Basma it trained and equipped more than 150 activists, that a February 2013 media-activist conference hosted by Basma was attended by more than 200 beneficiaries, and that nine of Al Jazeera’s 16 stringers in Syria were originally Basma-trained. The platform’s Arabic Facebook page was reported to have over 500,000 followers. ARK also worked with 14 FM stations and 11 magazines selected for values, potential, geographic reach and distribution capacity.[1]
A 31 January 2014 DSTL assessment (quoted in ARK documents) described Basma as:
a mature and professional organisation capable of messaging within Syria using its large network of moderate opposition contacts and platforms. Basma acts as a hub around which the moderate opposition revolves… Rebuilding a similar capability would take a number of years, during which the UK would have a severely-limited ability (if not no ability) to message the Syrian people.
Funding and evaluation
Basma was developed and sustained under UK (and US) government-funded programmes implemented by ARK. It was evaluated positively in 2014 by both the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) and i2i. Critical reporting based on leaked documents characterises Basma as a Western-government astroturfing operation that cultivated opposition propagandists while being publicly presented as a citizen-journalism or civil-society platform.[2]
Relationship to other contractors
Basma operated within the same ecosystem as Incostrat and other FCO/CSSF contractors. Incostrat tender documents refer to prior development and management of Basma. ARK’s broader Syria programming (including early White Helmets support under James Le Mesurier) ran in parallel; Basma focused on media production and messaging rather than civil-defence training.[3]
See also
- ARK Group
- Incostrat
- James Le Mesurier
- Alistair Harris
- White Helmets
- Conflict, Stability and Security Fund
External links
- ARK leaked document “Support to Grassroots Media Activism in Syria” (c. 2014)
- Consortium News, October 2020
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 ARK, “Support to Grassroots Media Activism in Syria” (leaked contractor document), c. 2014, archived via AppForest/S3.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Consortium News, Leaked Docs Expose Massive Syria Propaganda Operation… Consortium News, 12 October 2020.
- ↑ Incostrat tender documents (Lot A: Invitation to Tender for the Provision of Strategic Communications in the Syria Region), 2014.