• Algeria drafts new public communication strategy to combat misinformation
  
  
• Plan includes new media regulator, ethics council, and press card system
  
  
• 93% of internet users exposed to false content, study finds
  

Algeria’s government is drafting a new national strategy for public communication, Communication Minister Zoheir Bouamama announced last week. He presented the outline of the plan to the culture, communication, and tourism committee of the People’s National Assembly (APN).

The strategy proposes creating an independent National Authority for Audiovisual Regulation and a Council for Journalistic Ethics. It also calls for issuing press cards for journalists and updating regulations governing electronic and print media.

Bouamama said the reforms aim to digitize and secure official information channels, bolster the state news agency, Algérie Presse Service, and improve training for media professionals.

The initiative comes as Algerians face widespread exposure to misinformation. DataReportal estimates that, as of January 2025, Algeria had 36.2 million internet users, about 76.9% of the population, and more than 25.6 million social media users.

A 2025 study by the Disinformation Social Media Alliance (DISA) shows the scale of the problem: 93% of Algerian internet users encounter false or misleading content on social platforms; one-third see it daily, and 39% said they had shared information later found to be false.

Félicien Houindo Lokossou