A string of correspondences reported by Lebanese outlet NOW media purports to show some pretty big names in journalism, rubbing shoulders with some big names inside Assad's inner circle.
Award-winning Sunday Times journalist Hala Jaber apparently sent a close Assad confidant a Foreign Policy article about a potential hack on the email accounts of the regime's inner circle, with a subject line message that translates to, "you guys be careful."
Then there's veteran German reporter, Jurgen Todenhofer. His name came up last year after he successfully embedded with Daesh in the Iraqi city of Mosul for ten days.
But in 2011, he was reportedly attempting to secure an interview with Assad through back and forth emails with top Assad aid, Sheherezad Jaafari. In these, he calls Assad,“the only leader who can give [Syria] a modern, democratic and stable future without foreign dominance," among other things. All while referring to Jaafari as "the princess of the Middle East."
Now, there's obviously a certain level of attention a journalist must have with any given source, especially with someone as insulated as Assad. But the leaks have many wondering whether these journos got a little too cozy with a regime well known for its atrocities. Read the full NOW report here.
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