The Minister of Communication, Mohamed Meziane, chaired on Thursday, in Algiers, a ceremony on the occasion of celebrating the 62nd anniversary of the creation of Echaab newspaper, during which he highlighted the media’s contribution to preserving national identity and their role in countering attempts to undermine the country.
During this ceremony, which was attended by the Mission Delegate to the Presidency of the Republic, Ibrahim Sadouk, directors of media outlets and sector establishments, the Minister of Communication affirmed that this ceremony was “an opportunity to take stock of the newspaper’s developments and the changes made as part of its adaptation to modern technologies.”
“Echaab newspaper, celebrating its 62nd anniversary, preserves in its archives numerous media achievements through which it has promoted human values, advocated for respect of international legality and carried the aspirations of the people in their authentic language, while contributing to the preservation of an identity that French coloniser attempted to erase,” he said.
The minister also highlighted the newspaper’s contribution to “safeguarding the cultural heritage of the Algerian Nation” and “accompanying the different stages through which independent Algeria has passed,” adding that the newspaper “now records its victories obtained in all domains, accompanies its achievements and focuses on citizens’ concerns, thus contributing to the edifice of a victorious Algeria, thanks to the professionalism of its team, the reliability of its sources, the nobility of its objectives and its responsible media discourse.”
After highlighting the influence of media in various aspects of life, whether social, cultural, political or economic, he affirmed that this “requires us to combine our efforts and work together to defend the image of Algeria and face any threat that lurks for our country,” recalling that “information is a key element in the process of building and evolving society.”
In the same regard, Meziane emphasized that “the development of peoples and societies cannot be achieved without objective and strong media, which promote professional and responsible journalism, respectful of the rules and ethics of the profession and responding to the expectations of citizens, while guaranteeing their right of access to reliable information and a public communication service equal to current challenges.”
The minister also recalled that the 2020 Constitution enshrined press freedom as “a constant and irreversible principle,” as well as the support provided to the profession by the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who, he said, “has guaranteed a conducive environment for exercising the profession as part of reforms that corrected shortcomings and followed developments, with the aim of strengthening the corporation’s contribution to promoting professional practice, to the development dynamic, and to consolidating the institutional edifice of a secure, strong, prosperous and victorious Algeria.”
For his part, the CEO of Echaab newspaper, Djamel Laalami, highlighted “the efforts of the newspaper and its team in defending the sacred nature of the homeland,” assuring that he “will continue to carry the voice of the homeland and citizens.”
On this occasion, he praised the State’s support for this sector in order to develop powerful media.