International Encyclopedia of Communication Online

Extract

This entry focuses on the media systems in the Maghreb countries. The Maghreb (Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia) as a political entity is characterized by authoritarian structures. The regimes are omnipresent in almost every aspect of daily life, including the media sector. The countries in question share strong similarities in terms of their early historical development, their French colonial past, the nature of their media systems, the journalism practiced, their media laws, and their common struggle to increase press freedom, access to information, and protection of journalists. Tunisia has the most authoritarian regime and thus the most restrictive media policies. Morocco is the most liberal of the countries and thus has the least restricted media. Algeria exists in the middle of the spectrum. In recent times, the media landscapes in the three North African countries have changed under the combined impact of the globalization process and information and communication technologies. In Algeria there are about 40 daily →  newspapers and →  magazines in circulation. The daily newspaper with the widest circulation is Al Khabar (400,000). The circulation of daily newspapers is about 3 million, which is 9 percent of the population. Since 1990, the Algerian press has been governed by the “Information Code.” Politics is viewed as combat rather than contest, and journalists are hampered ... log in or subscribe to read full text