Algérie Presse Service (APS) is Algeria’s official news agency. It was founded in 1961 after the war for national liberation.
Media assets
News agency: APS
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
APS was established in 1991 through executive decree no. 91-104 as a public establishment “with an industrial and commercial character.”
The highest governing structure at APS is its Administration Council, which has 10 members (including the Director General), four of whom are representatives of government bodies (various ministries). The council is chaired by the Director General appointed through a presidential decree. APS is subordinated to the Ministry of Communication.
Source of funding and budget
APS is financed through a combination of state funding and revenue from the agency’s own activity (sales of content or subscription to its services). APS has not published financial data recently. According to local experts familiar with the APS budget interviewed in May 2024, the state allocation accounts for over 70% of APS’ total budget.
In 2021, APS received a total subsidy of DZD 544m (US$4 m) from the Ministry of Communication. According to local experts interviewed for this report in May 2024, APS received over DZD 550m from the government in 2022.
Editorial independence
As an official state agency, APS provides news and information about the government’s plans and activities. Although it publishes other information and covers many more beats, the agency is known for not engaging in any critical coverage of the country’s authorities, according to local journalists and experts interviewed for this report in May 2024.
In recent years, the agency has relentlessly increased its critical coverage of Morocco, its rival neighbor, following pressures and directives from the government. Much of that coverage consists of false news.
The decree that established APS includes provisions governing the agency’s news content. However, during the latest round of research, no domestic statute has been identified that establishes APS’s editorial independence.
July 2024