Being a Syrian journalist is just like being a journalist of any nationality, except that it is your revolution that you helped to report on that has turned into the vicious killing machine it is today. It is your hometown that you are reporting on being bombed off the face of the Earth. It is your actual family that is either scattered, killed or worse, waiting to be killed. It will be you who reports all of this only to see it turned into numbers on news bulletins. And all the while you’re also a civilian living in the middle of a civil war, where people have been reduced to creatures seeking survival.

There are some other issues to contend with too, such as the risk of being abducted, arrested or targeted by the numerous fighting groups. And quite often, in a civil war, things happen that people don’t want reported; be it a woman who, understandably, does not fancy having her picture taken while she’s collecting a basket of goods from the back of an aid truck, or an armed militia who did something you cannot report because he’s an armed militia. And then there’s the quickly and constantly shifting power balances which throw up new and unforeseen dangers on a daily basis.

It is not surprising then that the role of the journalist in Syria is being undermined. Whether it is the regime, Islamists, militias, the general public, or even the media itself, Syria does not respect its journalists. There is huge disillusionment at what journalism has failed to achieve in Syria. The large gap between what Syrians hoped for four years ago and what we have ended up with has caused a lot of cynicism and distrust towards the media and their motives. This is understandable – many Syrian journalists have become disillusioned too.

Like most Syrian journalists of my generation I joined the profession almost by accident. I started filming protests out of a need to show people what was going on. After working as a translator for international media organisations, I eventually started writing in Arabic for Syrian media outlets. It’s been an anti-climactic experience. As the situation in Syria has become more and more complicated, it’s becoming harder to say what you want. The working process is now very bureaucratic and the narrative often predetermined.

The need for impartial, credible and free-flowing information is greater than ever

As a result we don’t have the confidence to report freely on the increasingly complicated and dangerous country that Syria has become. In fact, most Syrian journalists have become little more than information gatherers for international and local media outlets. Disappointingly, the so-called Alternative Syrian Media has given little effective training or support to its promising young journalists. Independent journalism is suffering as a result.

But there is hope. The Syria Media Safety Resource that is being launched today by the Rory Peck Trust, the Committee to Protect Journalists and a coalition of journalist assistance organisations, won’t solve all of our problems, but it is an important first step in helping Syrian journalists gain the knowledge and skills to begin working more safely, confidently and independently on the ground. Teaching us the value of a risk assessment and communications plan, giving us the tools and knowledge to keep our digital communications and sources secure, and providing information on where to get help with trauma and psychological support (something usually dismissed as pointless in such a traumatised country) is integral. It’s a much-needed resource that will help us to help ourselves and to take control of our own situation.

Today, as Syrians are going through a severe identity crisis, the need for impartial, credible and free-flowing information is greater than ever. I am hopeful that Syrian journalists can rise to the challenge, but it is time for us to invest our efforts in the right places. We should acknowledge the skills that we lack and find the right organisations and resources to help us build on them.

We need to understand the difference between independent journalism and agenda-based journalism, identify our country’s problems and rediscover our own purpose as journalists. This way we have a chance of giving Syria the journalism it deserves.