Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Said Frix
Published on 2024-03-27 11:28:54
The subject was debated during a seminar in Beni Mellal.
In the presence of Younes Moujahid, former president of the National Press Council, and Abdelkébir Khchichen, president of the National Union of Moroccan Press, a seminar on “The reality of national and regional press and media and the challenges of the future” was organized at the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences in Beni Mellal on Saturday, March 23. This was held on the sidelines of the fourth anniversary of the death of Mohamed Hajjam, founder of Milafat Tadla.
During his intervention, Mr. Khchichen emphasized that the press sector in Morocco is in crisis for various reasons. He explained, “In Morocco, the press is in great need of organization and training. Journalists must be well-educated and of an excellent level of knowledge. Furthermore, they are required to respect the ethics of journalism in order to give birth to a press worthy of the name. The press in Morocco is a sector that leaves much to be desired, and the only way to organize it is through laws.
And that’s why we have highlighted the revision of the press code, which includes law 89/13 on the status of professional journalists, law 90/13 on the creation of the National Press Council, and law 88/13 on the press and publishing. It is undeniable that the press industry in Morocco has become anarchic and lacking in training and support. In addition, the inextricable problem is that of press companies, the majority of which consist of only one journalist who acts as editor-in-chief, publisher, photographer, etc.” He continued, “Regional press is the future of the media landscape. It is in great need of regional support to be financially autonomous and move forward.”
Younes Moujahid highlighted the issue of electronic and print media, emphasizing the results of a diagnostic study which revealed that “the print press is in a dire crisis, especially during the time of Covid 19. Since then, it has never been able to regain its former glory. Across all Moroccan publications, out of a circulation of 100,000 copies, sales do not exceed 40,000. Additionally, out of 95 newspapers, only 19 employ 10 journalists, while more than 47 periodicals employ only 1 to 3 journalists and 21 newspapers have only one journalist.
Regarding digital press, in 2022 out of 471 newspapers, 207 employ only one journalist. Due to lack of training, equipment, investment, human resources, and real press companies, it is evident that there is a structural crisis. Some professions have emerged while others have disappeared due to new information technologies, digitalization, artificial intelligence… Traditional training in the press field is outdated and the new recruits we are seeking and need do not have diplomas in general, this crisis is hitting the regional and national press hard. We are in the process of developing recommendations and proposals to illuminate our path,” he stressed.
Read the original article(French) on Aujourdhui.ma
