Al Arabia reports today that former Syrian TV anchor Hani al-Mazali admitted to taking part in an organized campaign to tarnish the image of pro-democracy protests and accused state media of being accomplice in the killing of innocent civilians. “The Syrian media made a grave mistake when it decided to side with the regime instead of becoming the mouthpiece of the people,” he told the channel in the first interview after his resignation and departure from Syria.
Mazali, who was a news presenter, said he decided to leave his job because he could no longer continue misleading people and preferred to respect the audience as well as the memory of martyrs.
“It doesn’t make any sense that state TV would host more than 1,000 writers, political analysts, and artists who do nothing except praise the regime and lash out at protesters.”
Mazali added that he and other people working in state media took part in promoting the regime’s lies which revolved around foreign agendas and Islamist plots to undermine the state as well as slam satellite channels for saying the truth.
“In the news we presented, we portrayed all members of the opposition as traitors and turned martyrs into terrorists who were affiliated to gangs that work for foreign powers.”