The National Organization of Algerian Journalists has strongly condemned what it describes as a smear campaign orchestrated by French media against Algeria. In a statement released today, the organization denounced a recent television program, labeling it as blatant propaganda aimed at undermining Algeria and its people, and a gross violation of professional journalistic ethics.
The statement asserts that the broadcast bore no resemblance to impartial journalism, but was instead a transparent attempt to manipulate the media to serve hostile political agendas. The organization highlighted that this incident occurs amid strained relations between Algeria and France, a consequence of certain French actors crossing red lines to appease far-right factions and those nostalgic for France’s colonial past.
The National Organization of Algerian Journalists outlined several professional and ethical breaches that marred what was purported to be a journalistic investigation. The program was accused of lacking neutrality and objectivity, presenting a biased narrative riddled with fabricated accounts and manipulated footage, rendering the entire presentation a farcical media spectacle.
Furthermore, the organization criticized the deliberate selectivity in the program’s choice of testimonies and sources, which served a pre-determined agenda while excluding any perspectives that could provide balance, clarify facts, expose hidden truths, or reveal the true face of France’s far-right and its complicit administration.
The timing of the broadcast, coinciding with a diplomatic crisis fueled by hostile rhetoric from French politicians, was also questioned. The organization views the program as a propaganda tool designed to exert pressure rather than an unbiased investigation. It also highlighted the incitement against the Algerian community by portraying them as pawns in a conflict, an act that fuels hatred and exacerbates tensions, promoting ‘Algerophobia’.
The statement concludes by asserting that the program was not a genuine investigative piece but a deplorable attempt to defame Algeria and mislead the French and international public. The organization lamented that certain French journalists have abandoned their noble mission of serving the truth, transforming French public media into a propaganda platform used to incite crises, fuel conflicts, and promote hate speech, all while manipulating domestic public opinion in France toward contrived diplomatic disputes.
The National Organization of Algerian Journalists reaffirms that true journalism is founded on verification, balance, and transparency, not on manipulating public opinion and exploiting the media for self-serving campaigns.
