the press



It should be noted that the development of journalism has always been linked to the development of printing. The Ottoman era experienced a delay in introducing and later allowing printing. There was a Jewish printing office in Constantinople at the end of the 15th century, and many Greek and Armenian offices in 1628.

The introduction of the printing press in the Ottoman Empire was complex and did not come easily. Some theologians opposed it who
I thought it was blasphemous, and that such a thing could distort human intelligence and religious books. However, based on the Sultan's orders, with the fatwa of Sheikh Islam Abdullah Effendi (d. 1743) stating that the printing press did not cause any problems regarding religion, printing was eventually allowed.

The Ottoman era also witnessed the beginnings of documentation, which relied on manuscripts and handwritten letters. Initially, it was used for administrative and legal purposes, such as divan reports. It was also influenced by the political and social character of Ottoman rule, significantly affecting the transmission and dissemination of information, as well as the administrative structure of various institutions, including the press, which did not have a presence in Algeria during the Ottoman period due to the disruption of the printing process and its delayed adoption by the Ottoman administration.

However, the political, social, and even economic context that Algeria experienced for two centuries under Ottoman rule made us observe the effects and repercussions of the Ottoman presence on Algerian journalism in contemporary periods, which touched upon the following aspects:

Cultural influence: Through the promotion of the Arabic and Turkish languages and Islamic culture

Political awareness: by conveying the political discourse to public opinion,

Strict censorship: which has characterised the media landscape in general, especially in the traditional field, accompanied by control over information and limited funding.