Authoritarianism and Media in Algeria

This report addresses the question of whether the initiative to reform the Algerian audio-visual media sector has the potential to influence the enduring authoritarian governance in Algeria.

The report suggests on the one hand that the introduction of private ownership of TV and radio holds the potential to radically change the media sector and its ability to challenge political processes for the first time since independence in 1962, opening up the possibility that an independent politically active public can emerge as a counter-weight to the state. On the other hand, the report suggests that authoritarian governance may be so deeply rooted in three key state institutions, namely the presidency, the military and state security, all of which elude parliamentary control, that they are unlikely to be fundamentally challenged by a reform of the audio-visual sector.

The report was drafted in October 2012 and based on field studies and interviews with stakeholders in Algeria carried out in September 2012 and on desk studies. It opens with three short background sections summarising, respectively, the core dynamics of authoritarianism in Algeria, alterations in power balances in the country over the last year, and the most pressing internal policy issues that are likely to influence any attempt to reform the political order. The report continues with a short summary of the developments linked to the influence of the “Arab Spring” in Algeria. The last three sections of the report maps and analyses the media landscape in Algeria, focusing respectively on the general composition of the media sector, the print press and the audio-visual sector (excluding radio). The report is based on consultations with a number of Algerian media professionals, academics, social media activists and human rights advocates.