The government publishes a few newspapers in Algeria, the most prominent being El Moudjahid, an official newspaper of the National Liberation Front; Horizons, a daily newspaper aimed at attracting younger readers; Ech-Chaab, a generalist daily in Arabic; and El Djoumhouria, a daily newspaper published in Oran, a major coastal city in Algeria.
Media assets
Publishing: El Moudjahid, Ech Chaab, El Djoumhouria, Horizons
State Media Matrix Typology: Captured Public/State-Managed Media (CaPu)
Ownership and governance
Local experts interviewed for this report in May 2024 say state-owned publishing houses run El Moudjahid, Horizons, Ech-Chaab, and El Djoumhouria.
Source of funding and budget
The government press companies do not release information about their finances. According to local experts interviewed for this report in May 2024, the print media run by the government is financed primarily from commercial revenues, namely advertising sales. However, they also receive significant funding from the government. In 2022, a state fund allocation worth DZD 32m was doled out to the state-run print media in Algeria, according to local experts interviewed for this report.
Editorial independence
The government does not impose editorial rules on its print media. Yet government newspapers are known to have a clear pro-governmental editorial policy, which can also be observed through the ad hoc content analysis covering the period 1 January 2024-15 February 2024 carried out by the Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC).
During the latest round of research, no domestic statute establishing the editorial independence of the government press in Algeria was identified.
July 2024