Dear Deeply Readers,

Welcome to the archives of Syria Deeply. While we paused regular publication of the site on May 15, 2018, and transitioned some of our coverage to Peacebuilding Deeply, we are happy to serve as an ongoing public resource on the Syrian conflict. We hope you’ll enjoy the reporting and analysis that was produced by our dedicated community of editors contributors.

We continue to produce events and special projects while we explore where the on-site journalism goes next. If you’d like to reach us with feedback or ideas for collaboration you can do so at [email protected].

BROWSE THE SYRIA DEEPLY ARCHIVES

About Syria Deeply

Syria Deeply is an independent digital media project led by journalists and technologists that explores a new model of storytelling around a global crisis. Our goal is to build a better user experience of the story by adding context to content, using the latest digital tools of the day. Over time the hope is to add greater clarity, deeper understanding and more sustained engagement to the global conversation.

Syria Deeply is a part of News Deeply, a new media startup and social enterprise based in New York. We are registered as a B Corp, or Benefit Corporation, with the stated mission of advancing foreign policy literacy through public service journalism. We receive no government funding, instead earning our revenues through a mix of foundation grants and digital-design services. Our client partners include the World Economic Forum, Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and the Baker Institute at Rice University.

We want anyone who comes to Syria Deeply to walk away smarter and better informed about what’s happening in our world. We’re fielding your feedback and story ideas through [email protected].

Alessandria Masi, Managing Editor

Alessandria is the Managing Editor of Syria Deeply and chief of News Deeply’s Beirut bureau. She leads the day-to-day operations for Syria Deeply, working to bring readers the most in-depth, multi-faceted and unbiased coverage of the ongoing conflict. Previously she was the Middle East Correspondent for International Business Times. She was a featured author in the 2016 edition of “Attacks On The Press” with the Committee To Protect Journalists and her coverage of the Syrian refugee crisis won a Society for American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW) international reporting award. She is a native of Canada and a cat enthusiast.

She tweets from @AlessandriaMasi and you can email her at [email protected]

Hashem Osseiran, Deputy Managing Editor

Hashem is the deputy managing editor of Syria Deeply. He has previously written for The Arab Weekly and The Daily Star. He has also worked with the Associated Press, where he focused on user-generated content. Hashem holds a masters degree in Middle East Politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, at the University of London. He is a native of Beirut, Lebanon.

Natalie Sikorski, Community Editor

Natalie is the community editor of Geopolitics at News Deeply. Previously, she worked with Nonviolent Peaceforce both as a programme officer in Beirut, Lebanon, focusing on the Syria response, as well as in advocacy and outreach in New York. She is currently finishing her master’s degree in Violence, Conflict and Development at SOAS, University of London. Outside of News Deeply, Natalie’s interests include horse riding, travel, and theatre.

Foundation Support

The Asfari Foundation

http://www.asfarifoundation.org.uk

The Asfari Foundation is a registered British charity set up by the Ayman Asfari family in 2006. It aims to help young people make a valuable contribution to their society by empowering them through education, research and the power of free thinking. It also supports programmes that encourage the development of civil society in the Arab world, and provides humanitarian relief to people affected by emergency situations in its target countries of Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and the UK. Our vision is for and educated, open and just society, based on the rule of law, which promotes development and progress through knowledge, tolerance and integrity.

International Women’s Media Foundation

http://www.iwmf.org

Founded in 1990 by a group of prominent U.S. women journalists, the International Women’s Media Foundation is a Washington-based organization that believes the news media world-wide are not truly free and representative without the equal voice of women. The IWMF celebrates the courage of women journalists who overcome threats and oppression to speak out on global issues. The IWMF’s programs empower women journalists with the training, support and network to become leaders in the news industry.

Hivos

https://www.hivos.org

Hivos is an international development organisation guided by humanist values. Together with local civil society organisations in developing countries, Hivos wants to contribute to a free, fair and sustainable world. A world in which all citizens – both women and men – have equal access to opportunities and resources for development and can participate actively and equally in decision-making processes that determine their lives, their society and their future.

Contribute

Syria Deeply, the world’s foremost platform on the Syrian conflict, welcomes original contributions.

We are always interested in receiving story pitches for news features and interviews, as well as videos, audio stories and photo essays.

We are also interested in receiving submissions from researchers, community leaders and policymakers for our community op-ed section.

We regret that, owing to the volume of submissions we receive, we may contact only writers whose work we will commission.

Syria Deeply is editorially independent and is part of News Deeply, the digital media and community building company that Time Magazine called “the future of news.”

Please send your story pitches to the Managing Editor Alessandria Masi at [email protected].

Created by the team at News Deeply.

Read more about the team.

Lara Setrakian

CEO, Co-Founder and Executive Editor

Lara is an award-winning journalist, strategist and entrepreneur. She spent five years in the Middle East reporting via television, radio and digital platforms for ABC News, Bloomberg Television, the International Herald Tribune, Business Insider and Monocle magazine. Her 2009 coverage of Iran’s election protests and the Arab Awakening of 2011 garnered industry praise. Lara is a Young Global Leader with the World Economic Forum and a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, with a degree in government. Lara enjoys a strong yoga practice, reading poetry and cooking vegetarian meals.

Daniel Beaulieu

Chief Content Officer

Dan is responsible for content strategy and operations on all News Deeply platforms. He previously led the World Economic Forum’s Knowledge Lab, the incubation arm of the Global Agenda Councils Network. He was a founding editor of the award-winning national newspaper of the United Arab Emirates, the National, and an editor at both the Middle East and Asia headquarters of Agence France-Presse. As a regional correspondent, he took on multiple assignments in Iraq, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jerusalem, Thailand and Hong Kong. Dan also worked as a journalist for Reuters in Tokyo and the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. He holds a master’s in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Samir Sheth

Chief Business Officer

Samir is responsible for business growth, strategy and operations at News Deeply. He brings with him experiences ranging from a stint as a consultant at McKinsey, to leadership positions at Sony Music and Bertelsmann, to investing in consumer and media start-ups. He holds a degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to being a passionate consumer of News Deeply content and an overall news and policy junkie, Samir enjoys playing and composing music, design and architecture, and working with his wife on a social enterprise focused on maternal health in the developing world.

Matt Unger

Chief Product Officer

Matt is the Chief Product officer of News Deeply, where he oversees digital product strategy as well as community development initiatives. Matt has decades of experience building useful and usable digital products for B2B, mobile application development, media, and retail organizations. As the Chief Digital Officer of K2 Intelligence, an investigative consultancy, he led the development of an innovative data analytics practice as well as software tools for case management, information gathering, and data visualization. At Gerson Lehrman Group, he led software initiatives to help recruit, manage, and scale the global expert network at the heart of GLG’s business. Prior to his work at GLG, he held leadership and creative technology roles at media and publishing companies like Conde Nast, iVillage, Zagat Survey, and Time Inc. He graduated from Tufts University. When he’s not at News Deeply’s New York office, he’s probably on a bicycle.

Arindam Biswas

Development Operations

Arindam is a backend developer, startup mentor and serial entrepreneur. He’s also a founder at CollectiveZen, an award-winning technology services and solutions provider with clients in India and North America. He bootstrapped his first startup in 2000 and went on to merge operations with Mixercast, where his roles included product design and management. His passions include the convergence of commoditized infrastructure, multi-gestural interfaces, the emerging ubiquity of the mobile Internet and location-based services. His daily pursuit of happiness ends with a smile when he makes a difference in the lives of the next generation.

Kim Bode

Manager, Community and Product Operations

Kim Bode is the manager of community and product operations at News Deeply, working at the intersection of community and product. Prior to joining News Deeply, she graduated from New York University’s Studio 20 program, which focuses on innovation in journalism, completing a research project with Facebook’s Journalism Partnerships team. Born and raised in Berlin, she came to New York in 2011 as Wall Street correspondent for the Financial Times Deutschland and NZZ am Sonntag, and later also reported for Die Zeit. When she manages to get offline, Kim enjoys a steady yoga practice and contemplating where to travel to next.

Arpiné Grigoryan

Director of Operations

Arpine Grigoryan is a new media professional, project manager and trainer with 15+ years of experience. Arpine is the Director of Operations at News Deeply and is the head of the Yerevan office. Arpine is actively engaged in co-organizing popular TEDx events in Armenia and the biggest Armenian tech conference BarCamp Yerevan for the past 6 years. Prior to joining News Deeply, Arpine acted as the Head of Corporate Affairs and Communications at PanARMENIAN.Net – the first Armenian online media platform. For the past decade, Arpine has led workshops and training sessions for various organizations and provided communication and marketing support for several local startups. Arpine received her Master’s degree in Management Information Systems from the State Engineering University of Armenia and has studied Information Security and Computer Science for her Bachelor’s. Her free time Arpine likes to spend reading and sewing. She has established the “Sewing Club in Armenia” with a few thousand members online.

Laura Mandel

Director, Partnerships & Business Development

Laura is responsible for sales and business development at News Deeply. Prior to joining the team, she worked in syndication and licensing for The New York Times, as well as in fundraising for a social justice philanthropy. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in History and French and is passionate about human rights, women's rights and foreign languages. Currently based in New York, Laura has lived and worked in both Paris and Jerusalem.

JC Medina

Senior Product Manager

JC is a product manager and digital producer responsible for shipping dozens of software projects since 2001. Prior to joining News Deeply, he was a senior manager at LookSmart Ltd., leading strategic initiatives in adtech, ecommerce, and social media marketing platforms. Before he moved to New York, JC managed the corporate development and mentoring program of G2VC, a venture capital firm based in Manila, Philippines. With years of entrepreneurial and corporate experience, JC has advised a handful of startups on product strategy and customer acquisition. A passionate runner, JC has completed multiple half and full marathons in the past eight years.

Ali Moore

Chief Copy Editor

Ali Moore is the chief copy editor for News Deeply. She has an extensive catalog of experience, spanning a full range of roles, from commissioning editor to project manager, and working with a number of high-profile organizations, including Microsoft, the Consumers’ Association, Reader’s Digest, Time Magazine, the Glasgow Herald, McGraw-Hill, Bertelsmann, Bloomsbury and the Institute of Education, as well as being an occasional seller of vintage clothing. When not at her desk or running a busy household, she enjoys Glasgow’s vibrant music scene.

Tania Karas

Managing Editor, Refugees Deeply

Tania Karas is managing editor of Refugees Deeply. She has reported on refugees and global migration from the US, Turkey, Lebanon, Greece and elsewhere in Europe. She was a 2015-16 Fulbright Fellow in Greece covering the country’s refugee crisis at the time of its financial crisis. Previously, she was a reporter for the New York Law Journal, a small daily newspaper, where she covered New York courts and immigration. She has degrees in journalism and political science from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

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