Verify-Sy website mentioned on Tuesday, May 17, our agency (North Press) on publishing fake news in reference to a demonstration that took place in the city center of Afrin, north of Aleppo governorate, on May 14 under the slogan “No to settlement, we want to open the battle fronts.”
Verify-Sy website claimed that the participants in the demonstration only “demanded the opening of the battle fronts against the Syrian regime and the liberation of the cities and villages occupied by the Russians and Iranians,” without any reference to “No to settlements” slogan.
In the article published on the site, Verify-Sy website used a photo taken by a North Press reporter in Afrin. The photo showed a protester holding a sign that read “No to settlement, yes to liberating the villages and the rifle.” The timing of the appearance of the banner in the video clip published by North Press is from 0:00 to 0:09.
However, the website did not mention the protesters’ refusal to the settlements which have been built by Turkey in northern Syria. The slogan “No to settlement” that was risen in the demonstration was also broadcasted by other websites, including the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The protester chanted the phrase “No to settlement” and it was repeated by the rest of the protesters.
In this context, North Press Agency had received an invitation to cover the demonstration by its organizers, who said that it would be against the Turkish settlement project in northern Syria. Accordingly, our reporters covered the event, following the standards we are working on. Based on that, we mentioned in our published articles the demonstrators’ rejection of the settlement and we also mentioned their demands to open the battle fronts against the Syrian government. We are committed to covering the event in all its aspects.
We, in North Press Agency, appreciate and support the efforts that seek to verify the authenticity of the published articles, especially those related to the war in Syria. However, when Verify-Sy website accuses us of distorting news which is documented by audio and video, this requires the website to reconsider its mechanism of work to be sure.