.png) El Watan logo | |
| Type | Dailynewspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Owner | SPA El Watan Presse |
| Editor | Mohamed Tahar Messaoudi |
| Founded | October 8, 1990 |
| Political alignment | Centre-right |
| Language | French |
| Headquarters | Maison de La presse Tahar Djaout, 1er Mai,Algiers,Algeria |
| Circulation | 200,000(May 2006 – May 2007) |
| Website | El Watan |
El Watan (Arabic:الوطن, "The Homeland") is an independent French-languagenewspaper inAlgeria.
The paper was founded in 1990 afterOmar Belhouchet and nineteen colleagues left theFLN government-owned newspaperEl Moudjahid (English:"TheMartyr").[1]
It aims to promote democracy and to give coverage to the Algerianopposition, and has acted as an outspoken voice againstcensorship andcorruption. It has been suspended several times by the Algerian government, andjournalists and editors jailed for various offenses. Its reporters have, according to the international press watchdogsReporters Without Borders (RSF) andCommittee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) been targeted by both government forces andIslamistinsurgents.[2][3]
In July 2007, the paper started the first weekend edition in Algeria. Subsequently, the newspaper started economic, real estate, and television supplements, with the goal of having one supplement per day. In 2008,El Watan launched a trilingual Arabic, English, and French website. Fayçal Métaoui, anEl Watan journalist, said that the paper created the website because its most significant competition originated from Arabic-language and English-language news sites.[4]
El Watan is one of the few newspapers in Algeria to own its own private printing facilities.[5]
El Watan has faced numerous boycotts from the Algerian National Publishing and Advertising Agency (ANEP) and theAlgerian Press Service (APS), preventing the newspaper from accessing public advertisement.[6][7] In 2018,El Watan editorOmar Belhouchet noted that fear of reprisals have led "media companies [to] self-censor regarding certain topics".[8]
In September 2020,El Watan released a critical report detailing alleged large-scale corruption byAhmed Gaid Salah, son of a late Army Chief of Staff.[9] The report prompted the government to suspendEl Watan’s advertising revenue and the newspaper eventually responded by emphasizing its support for the army.[10]
In 2022, following months of inconsistent, and then unpaid, salaries,El Watan's staff went on strike. Newspaper management claimed unpaid salaries were due to revenue lost from bullying from the state, as well as improper notification of debt repayment by tax authorities and Crédit Populaire d’Algérie's decision to "freeze the company's accounts despite continuous attempts to find a solution to the problem".[11][12] Creditors responded that the newspaper has substantial unpaid debt.[13]
In an effort to regain revenue,El Watan negotiated with ANEP and APS to allow the newspaper access to free public advertisement. Subtle changes in the newspaper's outputs following the end of strikes in late 2022 have been noted, especially in regards to foreign parties Algeria is increasing its economic and political relationships with.[14]
The paper's online version was the 45th most visited website for 2010 in theMENA region.[15]
| Daily | |
|---|---|
