Dawdaa ("noise" in Arabic), is a magazine launched in Sweida in mid-2013. The idea, however, came about from the early stages of the uprising. 

Sweida, a town in southern Syria, has remained under regime control and has thus far been spared the havoc of war. However, it is bordered by Daraa, where fierce fighting has continued for two years. The town has consistently suffered from lack of media coverage.

“We found our city, despite the many activities happening here, completely forgotten amidst the media coverage of the uprising,” recounts one of Dawdaa's founders in an interview with SyriaUntold.

To counter this, the magazine attempts to bring the news of Sweida to the world through a team of journalists, columnists, translators, and other technical staff for the printing and distribution operations.

Dawdaa works with specialized reporters from both cities. The citizen journalists reporting from Sweida work undercover in collaboration with other media outlets and activist group.

The magazine’s operations are greatly constrained by security concerns for the staff. Printing and distribution is done in utmost secrecy, especially after news about detainees from Sweida being tortured to death by the regime’s security forces.

Funding is another major constraint for the magazine’s work. It functions on a volunteer basis and the only assistance received was a micro-grant from Basma (a Syrian NGO active in the field of media), and support for printing and distribution from SMART (a Syrian NGO active in the field of media) in northern Syria.

Follow Dawdaa on its facebook page.