WASHINGTON, D.C.38.9072° N / 77.0369° WSYRIAN–AMERICAN

MEDIA EXECUTIVE · JOURNALISM · FILM

Zaid
Mastou.

I am a Syrian-American media executive who builds journalism institutions, leads cross-border newsrooms, and develops journalists working under pressure. My practice spans investigative reporting, fact-checking, and documentary film—all in service of stronger public-interest media.

Portrait of Zaid Mastou
PORTRAIT / 2025ZAID MASTOU
SCROLL TO FOLLOW THE SIGNAL
00 / IMPACT

Leadership measured in
people and public impact.

01400Journalists trainedSupporting journalists in conflict-affected and repressive environments
02300+Articles, interviews & reportsAcross investigations, analysis, field reporting, and breaking news
0319+Years in journalismReporting, leadership, training, and filmmaking since 2007
0408+Countries & regions worked acrossSyria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, the United States, Europe, Iran, and Guinea
IMPACT FILE / 01

Journalists trained

Training designed for real newsroom pressure—from investigative reporting and ethical standards to verification, safety, and fact-checking.

  • Investigative reporting
  • Verification & fact-checking
  • Newsroom standards
01 / WAYS OF WORKING

One mission.
Four disciplines.

Media leadership is the connecting practice—bringing reporting, verification, and film into stronger teams, institutions, and public-interest work.

01
Institutions · strategy · teams

Media Executive

I build and lead journalism organizations, shape editorial strategy, and develop cross-border teams around a shared standard: accuracy in service of the public.

See related work
02 / A DEFINING CHAPTERDAMASCUS · 2011

THE SIGNAL
WAS INTERRUPTED

Arrested
for journalism.

On April 6, 2011, Syrian security agents arrested me at an internet café near Damascus after I had reported on the protests unfolding across the country.

06 APR
Arrested near Damascus
+ 6 WEEKS
Held in detention
30 MAY
Released on bail
THE ARREST FILE / 2011

Reporting, response
and release.

Public records documenting the arrest, international response, detention, and release.

13 PUBLIC RECORDSExplore the arrest archive
“The line did not end. It changed direction.”
03 / PROJECTS & PLATFORMS

Ideas built
to outlast a story.

Organizations and editorial initiatives where leadership became structure, teams, standards, and measurable public impact.

FILE / 01
01
MY ROLEFounder, CEO & Board Member02/2016 — Today

Accuracy Press Institute

A nonprofit built to strengthen professional journalism through training, mentorship, verification, investigative reporting, safety, and newsroom development.

KNOWN FOR400 journalists trained
Open project file
04 / GLOBAL TRAINING

Knowledge
travels.

Choose a signal on the map to follow training, mentorship, and institution-building across borders.

01 / 05GUINEA · 2023

Conakry

Disarming disinformation

Designed and delivered a culturally grounded fact-checking program for NDI, including intensive participant training and a training-of-trainers track.

05 / CAREER ROUTE

Nearly two decades,
one evolving practice.

Select a year to follow the path from reporting into media leadership, institution-building, training, and film.

Rabat · Morocco2007

The reporting begins

Graduated in journalism and began a professional path across broadcast, radio, print, and digital media.

06 / FILM ROOMFEATURE DOCUMENTARY · 2024
NOW SCREENINGOFFICIAL TRAILER · 2024
A FILM BY ZAID MASTOU
DIRECTOR · SUBJECT · EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Doomsday
Rehearsal

A Syrian-American journalist travels to Türkiye in a desperate search for his mother after the February 2023 earthquake—torn between the role of a son and the instinct to document.

FORMAT
Feature documentary
LANGUAGE
Arabic · English subtitles
PRODUCTION
Accuracy Productions
07 / PUBLICATION

Writing the news,
from craft to clarity.

A practical Arabic-language guide to the structure, judgment, and techniques behind a strong news story.

Cover of تحرير الخبر الصحفيOPEN-ACCESS BOOK · PDF · ARABIC
ARABIC-LANGUAGE JOURNALISM GUIDE · 2018

تحرير الخبر الصحفي

A concise, example-led guide to writing news: from headlines, bylines, and leads to the inverted pyramid, sourcing, proximity, and the essential qualities of an effective story.

AUTHOR
Mohamad Zaid Mastou
PUBLISHER
Accuracy Press Institute
FORMAT
35 pages · Open-access PDF
08 / PERSONAL VISUAL NOTEBOOK

Beyond the newsroom,
a personal lens.

Photography is a personal practice and a source of creative renewal—a quiet way to observe people, places, light, and everyday life.

Long-exposure night photograph of an illuminated stone bridge over a river01 / 06 · PHOTOGRAPH BY ZAID MASTOU
Paris · France

The Crossing

Stone, water, and a passing line of light

THE LIVING ARCHIVE · الأرشيف الحي · THE LIVING ARCHIVE · الأرشيف الحي ·