The late American poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron famously declared in a 1970 recording that “the revolution will not be televised.” In the case of the uprising in Syria, this phrase almost rang true. Unlike the closely documented protests in Tunisia and Egypt, in which 24-hour news coverage captured the historic fall of two long-standing autocratic leaders, Syria’s marked tradition of restricting press freedoms coupled with its refusal to allow foreign journalists inside its borders shrouded the tumultuous events there with a veil of uncertainty.

However, in the four months since anti-government protestors took to the streets calling for reforms within President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, and indeed the fall of the regime itself, even a media blackout could not hide the fact that thousands of Syrians have fled to refugee camps near the Turkish border.

Furthermore, the United Nations estimated that at least 1,100 civilians have been killed in increasingly violent clashes between opposition groups and government security forces. In April, despite lifting a nearly 50-year-old emergency law that allowed the state to control media as well as detain individuals without cause, the Assad government showed no signs of loosening its borders for foreign press. International journalists were forced to report from the sidelines, and those who tried to find ways into Syria, such as Al Jazeera English reporter Dorothy Parvaz, were swiftly detained and deported.

Finally, on 23 June, three days after Assad delivered his speech promising reforms, a selected few foreign journalists were issued visas and began reporting from Syria. CNN’s Arwa Damon was one of the first Western journalists to broadcast from Damascus, where she was greeted by two conflicting narratives.

“It was pretty tense. The uprisings have polarized the country, with people on both sides feeling strongly,” Damon told IPI. “One side feels the government is targeted by foreign gangs. Demonstrators feel they’re just demanding freedom and are unfairly targeted by the government.”

The government itself continued to send mixed messages about its position on press freedoms. Assad’s media advisor Buthaina Shabaan insisted to reporters that they would receive full access to the country. However, once Damon and other journalists arrived in Damascus, they were each assigned handlers, who escorted them during government-sponsored trips and monitored their every move. Additionally, they were subjected to an approval process before given access to certain areas of the country. Simply interviewing citizens on the street posed a challenge for reporters.

“It was difficult to tell whether it was staged or if people were coming up to us of their own free will,” Damon said. “There’s a bit of hostility to foreign media and blaming Western media, especially the United States and Israel. People are very angry and certainly feel passionate about the situation.

“When it came to finding anti-government opinions, it was another process. People will whisper, walk by while I was talking to someone and say they’re lying, stick notes with messages in my hand. They want to talk. They’re so desperate and feel they’re being drowned out.”

After the government denied CNN’s requests to shoot in the western city of Homs, where mass demonstrations were held weekly, Damon and her crew were finally given access to one anti-government protest in a Damascus neighbourhood.

“In that neighbourhood, I was able to break away from our escorts, who did not follow me because they were afraid,” Damon recalled. “I took that risk upon myself, but it was the only time I could talk to people out of [the escorts’] earshot. That was a very rare occurrence.”

In order to unearth more non-government sanctioned stories, Damon developed her own sources. One result of such connections was the discovery of an underground network of medics, who have been setting up small clinics to aid wounded protestors. She highlights the clinics in the segment, “Damascus Doctors,” now currently airing on CNN International.

Though the Syrian government looks committed to issuing a limited number of visas to foreign news outlets, reporters for organizations waiting for approval continue to rely on social media sites and regional activists for information.

“We’ve been working in Syria since 2002, so we have a huge network of ordinary people whom we know,” said Wissam Tarif, the executive director of human rights group INSAN. “We provide contact info so journalists can do their research. If we have something solid, we pass it to the journalists.”

In the absence of accredited journalists, ordinary citizens have also stepped up to provide a window into the uprisings. YouTube has become a virtual base camp for amateur video footage of demonstrations and any anti-government activity inside Syria. Videos curated by activist groups such as the Shaam News Network (SNN) have been reposted on Al Jazeera and New York Times blogs. The burden of verifying the credibility of the videos, which are often recorded on mobile phone cameras, lies with the news outlets who choose to post them, but there is no doubt that these efforts have provided a visual representation of the uprisings that would have otherwise remained unseen.

“When the state bans any kind of journalists from reporting, people will be creative about documenting what’s happening in their neighbourhood,” said Tarif. “It has been challenging from day one, but these channels have proven to be credible.”

According to an activist close to the Shaam News Network, who chose to remain anonymous, the group currently corresponds with volunteers who risk their lives daily to shoot the videos with satellite phones and verify the news on the ground. Its work has captured so much attention that the organisation is working on building better relationships with news organizations in order to provide them with journalist-level news.

“Shaam is working on improving the journalism skills of its supporters on the ground and putting more effort into providing credible and well-prepared breaking news stories about Syria,” he said. “We’re also now expanding our relationships with news organizations … videos are not enough.”

With the Assad government still holding firm, there is no telling when protests in Syria will end or when journalists will be allowed to report freely within the country.

“It’s going to be a long process,” said Damon. “Whichever way it plays out, change has to happen. Activists will tell you that they cannot go back. This is the point of no return. [They’ll say] either the regime falls or the regime has to massacre all of them.”

Tarif echoed the sentiment. “Under this regime, I don’t see how this system will reform,” he said. “This is a regime that does not care about an image or reputation as a country that respects freedom of press. They have a lot to hide. As long as they have something to hide, they’re not going to let anyone in.”