The social networking website Facebook has closed the Syrian state TV page after online criticism against the station escalated and campaigns were launched. Facebook, however, has not commented on the closing of the page. Different campaigns grew online calling for the boycott of the state TV channel for airing what they called “lies against the uprising” that started 8 month ago across Syria. The TV channel accuses militant and terrorists of being behind the mass protests that calls for an end to Bashar al-Assad regime, following in the footsteps of the Tunisian and the Egyptian uprisings that toppled their regimes. Many activists and observers have sent complaints to Facebook over the page for the past few months and said the page should be closed for “misleading people as part of the general policies of the Syrian official media and the way it portrays the revolution.” The official SANA news called the decision “a step that exposes the western fraudulent allegations over freedom of people and freedom of media and expression,” adding that this comes as part of the “campaign to silence the official Syrian media from reaching the world because it contradicts with its own purposes and agendas.” The decision was met with content from Syrian activists who praised Facebook over the closing. The UN estimates the number of dead due to the violent crackdown on demonstrations around the country to be at least 3500, while activists say the real numbers are much higher. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/Hj4k6 Tags: Activists, Facebook, Page, State TV Section: Latest News, Media, Syria
