Jamahiriya News Agency
The libya News Agency, also known as wal, was the official state news agency of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. It continues to operate online on WordPress.com.
It was founded in 1964 as the Libyan News Agency by a royal decree, amended in 1970 after the 1969 coup d'état and fall of the Kingdom of Libya. It was taken off the air during the Battle of Tripoli in August 2011, as rebel forces overran the capital.
Under Muammar Gaddafi's government, the agency was the only authorised distributor of foreign news and most domestic news in the country. It also routinely reported on Gaddafi and his family.
JANA had a number of agreements with Arab, African and international news agencies. It had over 300 staff and 10 overseas bureaus in London, Rome, Paris, Valletta, Tunis, Cairo, Rabat and Damascus. The agency also maintained domestic offices and correspondents in provincial councils linked to the head office in Tripoli.
