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The meeting was marked by the participation of the Minister of Youth and Sports, Abderrahmane Hammad, the representatives of sports media in the conference room of Mohamed Boudiaf Olympic Complex, the President of the Audiovisual Regulatory Authority (ARAV), Mohamed Louber, the heads of the national media, representatives of both parliamentary chambers and media corporation, as well as academics.

Laagab said that the meetings he chaired lately with the heads and representatives of the national media aim to “explore ways and means to boost the performance of national media, and allow them to play leading roles, at least in the regional environment.”

The Minister of Communication also reminded the national media corporation, particularly sports media outlets, of the necessity to respect the fundamentals of professional journalism ethics and codes of conduct, underlining the need to “boost the level of sports media performance,” through “respecting the new legal texts governing the sector.”

According to the minister, the journalists and heads of national media outlets are required to apply the articles of the law on information passed in August 2023, the law on the written and online press as well as the law on the audiovisual activity passed in December 2023, estimating that these laws “set the framework for journalism practice for media and journalists, such as the articles 03, 16, 17, 20 and 35 of the law on information, along with the article 32 of the law on audiovisual activity.

In this regard, Laagab thanked all journalists for their efforts and work, particularly in sports news coverage which has its specificities, inviting them to consult the new bill and revisit certain fundamentals that can provide “a basis for sports journalism activity.” 

The minister emphasized that the journalists’ responsibility is to “evaluate the source of the information, in line with the new bill, verify its credibility and check its accuracy,” along with considering whether it can be published or not. Laagab further said that at times, “one may waive, by responsibility, publishing information that undermines the social fabric, the State’s stability and its relations with other countries.”

Laagab said that this meeting “is not linked to any specific issue, especially in the current climate in which it is held,” adding that “it should not be considered as an indictment of sports journalists.” 

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