​​Algerian political authorities increase their influence over the national press

The Algerian government is determined that the national media should play a role within official institutions. For this reason, the Algerian press is increasingly exposed to political pressure.  

This is evidenced by recent changes in the leadership of Algeria's government media, as well as the official news agency and radio station, which indicate that the Algerian authorities are reviewing the content and form of the image they want to portray to internal and external public opinion. 

These efforts have previously been reinforced by the Ministry of Communication's decisions against the newspaper ‘Algeria El Ghad’ after it published an article about the existence of a plan led by the ‘axis of evil countries’ to assassinate President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.  

The Algerian Ministry of Communication summoned the newspaper's editor-in-chief, Adel Zekri, and its managing editor, Issam Cheikh, for questioning about the content of the published article. 

The text, written by the newspaper's managing editor, Ammar Guerdoud, ‘contains misleading and undocumented information and violates the articles regulating journalistic work provided for by the framework law on information,’ the ministry said. Consequently, the ministry explains, it has decided to initiate proceedings to definitively suspend the newspaper's activity, in accordance with article 54 of the Constitution and article 70 of the law on the written and electronic press. 

On the other hand, the Algerian newspaper Al-Khabar launched a serious accusation against the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates in Algeria, accusing him of sabotaging relations between the two countries and considering him an undesirable person.   

The author did not base his article on concrete information or data, but relied on positions and conclusions previously promoted by various governmental and private media outlets.  

Relations between Algeria and the UAE were believed to have improved, especially after the meeting between Presidents Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the G7 Summit hosted by Italy, as well as the congratulatory message sent by the Emirati leader to Tebboune after his re-election. 

As Al-Arab points out, antagonising Abu Dhabi is nothing more than a continuation of Algeria's policy of creating enemies for no reason, even if this leads to harming Algeria's own interests. In this sense, it seems that influential forces in the military elite - who are increasingly influential at the political level - are working to obstruct Tebboune's policy of settling disputes with the brothers in the Gulf. 

The Arab media also points to the possibility that the fabricated campaign against the Emirati ambassador is part of a plan to prevent President Tebboune from making any changes to his country's foreign policy and trying to break its isolation in its regional environment. 

President Tebboune has previously stated that ‘political and official positions cannot be expressed in any way through the media, and that official institutions are the only ones authorised to express the state's position’. 

However, it seems that Algeria's media, both governmental and private, has begun to reflect the views of the ruling circles, with the aim of changing the content and form of local media to boost Tebboune's new image after his re-election.