Lambda Pi Eta and the PNW local chapter of the Union for Democratic Communication (PNW UDC) hosted a panel discussion on the crisis in Syria in SUL on the Hammond campus on Dec. 1.

The panel included Khousay Ahmad of the Syrian American Will Association, Matt Paskah of Hoosiers for Progress, Raquel Williams of Lambda Pi Eta and Christian Lutes of the PNW UDC. Both Williams and Lutes are PNW Communication graduates.

Lee Artz, professor of the department of communication and creative arts, introduced the panel. Artz said the Syrian crisis is a very complex and confusing human tragedy. He described U.S. media coverage on the conflict as little-to-none and said the coverage that does exist is used as a means to legitimize U.S. policy and goals within the conflict.

Lutes spoke about media framing and how it impacts knowledge of the Syrian crisis. She defined media framing as when the media takes a piece of our perceived reality and stresses some information while leaving out others. According to Lutes, American media also uses the same violent and graphic images across different news outlets to produce the same intended reaction from viewers.

“I think it was fantastic. We had a great turnout. I saw a diverse group of students, so I think that was fantastic especially because this event is all about awareness of the different perspectives that are out there,” Lutes said. “Hopefully we will have many more events like these.”

Williams spoke about how Netflix documentaries use emotionally charged media to promote a certain way of thinking. Williams focused on the documentary “The White Helmets.” The White Helmets are a group of Syrian civil defense responders. She described documentaries like “The White Helmets” as infotainment, which is a form of informative media that turns into entertainment and mimics action movies by using intense music and emotionally charged images.

Ahmad took a stance against American governmental involvement in the Syrian conflict. He described the war in Syria not as a civil war but as a war against the Syrian government led by the U.S. government.

Paskah discussed the violations that the Syrian government has made against international human rights laws. He defended American and U.N. involvement in the Syrian war.

One attendee had another perspective. David Albert Turpin Sr. heard about the event through Facebook and decided to come and offer his input. Turpin Sr. has known Artz for 30 years. Turpin challenged the panel many times throughout the discussion. When asked about his stance on the issue, Turpin described himself as a member of a group of “people who support the democratic elimination of Assad and recognize that Assad has committed war crimes, crimes against humanity actually spanning to genocide.” He believes the panel was not focused on the crimes that the Syrian government itself had committed and had instead blamed the U.S. government for its involvement.