A number of independent Algerian newspapers, prestigious francophone daily El Watan chief among them, are undergoing a period of crisis aggravated by political and economic pressures that may threaten their existence. This situation raises questions about the future of Algerian media, and more broadly about freedom of the press.
The Algerian independent press is facing an existential crisis. Many publications created when the media landscape was opened up to the private sector in the late 1980s have been forced to cease activity in recent decades. This was the case for French daily Le Matin in 2004 and for Liberté, a flagship of the Algerian independent press, which closed its doors in April. “Financial and economic hardships” were cited as the reasons for the closure of the daily belonging to Issad Rebrab, a wealthy businessman.
Employees of Liberté tried to purchase the title, but its owner rejected this option for “political reasons”, as described by some.
Two months later, before the shock of Liberté‘s closure had worn off, a new tremor reverberated across the Algerian journalism scene. Deprived of advertising income, the prestigious francophone daily El Watan (“The Homeland”), which appeared in Algeria in 1990, also found itself in tough spot.
Its income had been significantly slashed by the Agence Nationale d’Édition et de Publicité (the “National Publishing and Advertising Agency”, or Anep), the state advertising distributor, which unilaterally broke its contract during the term of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. This happened during the same time the paper decided not to support a fourth term for the president in 2019.
The authorities pressure public and private companies – both Algerian and foreign – not to buy advertising space in the newspaper due to its “independent” editorial line, in view of gradually closing down El Watan.
Cyclical strike after…
Source : france24
