El Watan

The paper was founded in 1990 after Omar Belhouchet and nineteen colleagues left the FLN government-owned newspaper El Moudjahid ({{langx|en|"The Martyr"}}).{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/26/world/algeria-ferment-special-report-algeria-hope-for-democracy-but-not-economy.html|title=Algeria in Ferment -- A Special Report; In Algeria, Hope for Democracy but Not Economy|author=Youssef M. Ibrahim|date=26 July 1991|work=The New York Times|access-date=28 May 2011|archive-date=6 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306194454/http://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/26/world/algeria-ferment-special-report-algeria-hope-for-democracy-but-not-economy.html|url-status=live}}

It aims to promote democracy and to give coverage to the Algerian opposition, and has acted as an outspoken voice against censorship and corruption. It has been suspended several times by the Algerian government, and journalists and editors jailed for various offenses. Its reporters have, according to the international press watchdogs Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) been targeted by both government forces and Islamist insurgents.{{cite news|url=http://www.rsf.org/print.php3?id_article=6686|title=Algeria – 2003 Annual report|date=2 May 2003|publisher=Reporters Without Borders|access-date=30 August 2010|location=Algeria|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031090456/http://www.rsf.org/print.php3?id_article=6686|archive-date=31 October 2007}}{{cite news|url=http://www.rsf.org/print.php3?id_article=3086|title=Reporter for El Watan attacked and kidnapped|access-date=29 August 2010|format=Print|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031000324/http://www.rsf.org/print.php3?id_article=3086|archive-date=31 October 2007|date=23 July 2002|location=Algeria|publisher=Reporters Without Borders}}

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, {{Lang|ar-latn|El Watan}} launched a trilingual Arabic, English, and French website. Fayçal Métaoui, an {{Lang|ar-latn|El Watan}} journalist, said that the paper created the website because its most significant competition originated from Arabic-language and English-language news sites.The Report: Algeria 2008. Oxford Business Group, 2008. [https://books.google.com/books?id=zPz9FHXJVLUC&pg=PA199 199] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240522104314/https://books.google.com/books?id=zPz9FHXJVLUC&pg=PA199#v=onepage&q&f=false|date=22 May 2024}}. Retrieved from Google Books 20 September 2012. {{ISBN|1-902339-09-6}}, {{ISBN|978-1-902339-09-2}}.

El Watan is one of the few newspapers in Algeria to own its own private printing facilities.{{Cite web |last=El-Issawi |first=Fatima |date=February 2017 |title=Algerian National Media: Freedom at a Cost |url=http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/69567/1/AlgerianNationalMedia.pdf |website=LSE Middle East Centre Report |access-date=22 May 2024 |archive-date=13 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240413122302/https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/69567/1/AlgerianNationalMedia.pdf |url-status=live }}

El Watan has faced numerous boycotts from the Algerian National Publishing and Advertising Agency (ANEP) and the Algerian Press Service (APS), preventing the newspaper from accessing public advertisement.{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Algeria Report: Between Death Threats and Censorship |url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6a6d020.html |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=Refworld |language=en |archive-date=15 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230915182033/https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6a6d020.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |title=Custom Report Excerpts: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia +190 more |language=en-US |work=United States Department of State |url=https://www.state.gov/report/custom/b01e0139aa/ |access-date=2023-10-20 |archive-date=9 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231209124910/https://www.state.gov/report/custom/b01e0139aa/ |url-status=live }} In 2018, El Watan editor Omar Belhouchet noted that fear of reprisals have led "media companies [to] self-censor regarding certain topics".{{Cite web |title=2018 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Algeria |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/algeria/ |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=United States Department of State |language=en-US |archive-date=27 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027032659/https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/algeria/ |url-status=live }}

In September 2020, El Watan released a critical report detailing alleged large-scale corruption by Ahmed Gaid Salah, son of a late Army Chief of Staff.{{Cite web |title=2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Algeria |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/algeria/ |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=United States Department of State |language=en-US |archive-date=22 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322021345/https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/algeria/ |url-status=live }} The report prompted the government to suspend El Watan’s advertising revenue and the newspaper eventually responded by emphasizing its support for the army.{{Cite web |title=Custom Report Excerpts: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia +70 more |url=https://www.state.gov/report/custom/a040527228/ |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=United States Department of State |language=en-US |archive-date=28 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928060121/https://www.state.gov/report/custom/a040527228/ |url-status=live }}

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".{{Cite web |date=2022-07-17 |title=Algeria: Last days for the El Watan newspaper? |url=https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20220717-algeria-last-days-for-the-el-watan-newspaper-and-freedom-of-the-press |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=France 24 |language=en |archive-date=27 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027032726/https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20220717-algeria-last-days-for-the-el-watan-newspaper-and-freedom-of-the-press |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=2022-08-27 |title=El Watan is back on Algeria's newsstands but its survival is still threatened {{!}} RSF |url=https://rsf.org/en/el-watan-back-algeria-s-newsstands-its-survival-still-threatened |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=rsf.org |language=en |archive-date=27 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027031937/https://rsf.org/en/el-watan-back-algeria-s-newsstands-its-survival-still-threatened |url-status=live }} Creditors responded that the newspaper has substantial unpaid debt.{{Cite web |date=2022-08-27 |title=El Watan is back on Algeria's newsstands but its survival is still threatened {{!}} RSF |url=https://rsf.org/en/el-watan-back-algeria-s-newsstands-its-survival-still-threatened |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=rsf.org |language=en |archive-date=27 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027031937/https://rsf.org/en/el-watan-back-algeria-s-newsstands-its-survival-still-threatened |url-status=live }}

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.{{Cite journal |last1=Haden |first1=Madelyn |last2=Harr-Siebenlist |first2=Gabriel |date=2023-11-02 |title=Algeria's economic and political trends after the Hirak movement |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13629387.2023.2254025 |journal=The Journal of North African Studies |language=en |volume=28 |issue=6 |pages=1303–1316 |doi=10.1080/13629387.2023.2254025 |issn=1362-9387 |access-date=22 May 2024 |archive-date=22 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240522104217/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13629387.2023.2254025 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}

The paper's online version was the 45th most visited website for 2010 in the MENA region.{{cite news |date=28 October 2010 |title=Forbes Releases Top 50 MENA Online Newspapers; Lebanon Fails to Make Top 10 |work=Jad Aoun |url=http://www.jadaoun.com/2803/forbes-releases-top-50-mena-online-newspapers-lebanon-fails-to-make-top-10/ |access-date=11 September 2014 |archive-date=29 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729212745/http://www.jadaoun.com/2803/forbes-releases-top-50-mena-online-newspapers-lebanon-fails-to-make-top-10/ |url-status=live }}

{{Portal|Journalism}}

• List of newspapers in Algeria
• Censorship in Algeria

{{Reflist|33em}}

• {{in lang|fr}} [https://www.elwatan-dz.com/ El Watan homepage]
• [http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/64094 El-Watan ordered to pay fine] – IFEX

{{Newspapers in Algeria}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Watan, El}}

Category:1991 establishments in Algeria

Category:Newspapers published in Algeria

Category:French-language newspapers published in Algeria

Category:Newspapers established in 1991

Category:Mass media in Algiers