''El Watan'' (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

:الوطن, meaning ''the Homeland'') is an independent French-language

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

History and profile

The paper was founded in 1990 after Omar Belhouchet and nineteen colleagues left the FLN government-owned newspaper ''

El Moudjahid ''El Moudjahid'' is an Algerian French-language newspaper. It was founded during the Algerian War to inform FLN resistance fighters, and after independence it became the newspaper of the single-party FLN government. Since the FLN was voted out ...

'' ( en, "The Martyr"). It aims to promote democracy and to give coverage to the Algerian

opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * '' The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Com ...

, and has acted as an outspoken voice against

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

and corruption. It has been suspended several times by the Algerian government, and

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

s and editors jailed for various offenses. Its reporters have, according to the international press watchdogs Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and

Committee to Protect Journalists The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American independent non-profit, non-governmental organization, based in New York City, New York, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journ ...

(CPJ) been targeted by both government forces and Islamist

insurgents An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion against authority waged by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare from primarily rural base areas. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irr ...

. 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, an ''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 paper's online version was the 45th most visited website for 2010 in the

MENA region MENA, an acronym in the English language, refers to a grouping of countries situated in and around the Middle East and North Africa. It is also known as WANA, SWANA, or NAWA, which alternatively refers to the Middle East as Western Asia (or a ...

References

External links

*
El Watan homepage

El-Watan ordered to pay fine
– IFEX {{DEFAULTSORT:Watan, El 1991 establishments in Algeria Newspapers published in Algeria French-language newspapers published in Algeria Publications established in 1991 Mass media in Algiers

History and profile

See also

References

External links