By investigating the war's consequences, some reporters are pushing the government to do more. Tlemcani recently published an article about the thousands of women raped by groups of guerrillas. Many Algerians feel that rape brings shame on a woman's family, creating a wall of silence. Basically, she is not considered to be a victim because she is a woman. For Ali Djerri, editor in chief of the 400,000-circulation El Khabar, the biggest problem is accessing government records.
Journalists often spend time in court, defending themselves against libel suits.
Until now, the government controlled the printing presses and the transportation used to deliver newspapers. To become more independent, El Khabar is building a printing plant and hopes to open it within six months, Djerri said. Still, government interference cannot be fairly compared to the threat from Islamist guerrillas, he said. Click here for the full obituaries list.