The Algerian media landscape is witnessing a notable confrontation. On Sunday, December 14th, the private television channel Al Hayat TV publicly announced it had been formally summoned by the Audiovisual Regulatory Authority (Anirav). The catalyst for this regulatory action was a complaint filed by the national flag carrier, Air Algérie, marking a significant escalation in tensions between a state-owned enterprise and a private media outlet.
While Anirav routinely calls media entities to order, the specific grievance in this case is unusual. It centers not on typical regulatory breaches like hate speech or defamation, but on critical commentary regarding corporate sponsorship decisions—a move that media freedom advocates may view as an attempt to shield a public company from journalistic scrutiny.
Air Algérie Files Complaint with Anirav After Controversial Exchange on Al Hayat TV
The dispute originates from a segment on Al Hayat TV’s program “Ma’a Al Hadath” (With the News). The host, while interviewing Ahmed Medeghri—director of the National Higher School of Mathematics, whose students had excelled at an international competition in Russia—made a pointed statement that functioned as both commentary and critique. The host declared: “I learned that the Algerian airline did not accompany you and that it was you who paid for the tickets. This is unacceptable. The company has financed influencers, pseudo-influencers, and singers, given them free tickets, and granted them significant funding, but when it comes to a scientific event, it is the students who pay for the tickets and the Algerian airline does not cover the costs, which we regret.”
This statement implicitly raises a broader, vital question about public resource allocation: Should a state-owned company prioritize marketing partnerships with celebrities over supporting national achievements in science and education? The guest’s diplomatic response did not challenge the host’s premise. Medeghri acknowledged support from the Ministry of Higher Education but expressed hope that Air Algérie and other institutions would, in the future, “pay more attention and take more interest” in such scientific successes, which he framed as a “state project.”
Air Algérie’s decision to file a formal complaint with the regulator, rather than solely utilizing available media channels, is the core of the controversy. Al Hayat TV states that the airline’s right of reply was honored via a full-text publication of a statement by CEO Hamza Benhamouda on the channel’s website. Furthermore, the channel extended an invitation for an Air Algérie representative to appear on the same program for a direct discussion—an invitation that, to date, remains unaccepted.
This sequence of events transforms the incident from a simple on-air critique into a case study on media regulation and corporate accountability. The complaint moves the issue from the court of public opinion to the administrative arena of Anirav, potentially testing the boundaries of permissible criticism of state-affiliated entities. Al Hayat TV has confirmed its legal representative will appear before Anirav on Tuesday, December 16th, setting the stage for a ruling that could have implications for how Algerian media covers public enterprises.