The ascension to the throne of Morocco’s young and forward-thinking King Mohammed VI in 1999 brought on many reforms in Moroccan policy towards a stronger democracy. In addition to the new Family Code, which increased rights for women, Morocco has witnessed the establishment of a directly elected Parliament, the creation of institutions promoting literacy, education and the strengthening of one of the government's foremost priorities, human rights. These advances have helped Morocco to move towards a more open, independent, and diverse press environment.
Morocco’s official news service is the Maghreb Arabe Presse Agency (MAP) established in 1958 by HM King Mohammed V, whose motto is “News is sacred, comment is free” (which became a state owned entity in 1977). In January of 1963, the National Union of the Moroccan Press (SNPM) was established whose duty is to defend the media profession and the code of ethics.
Of the 644 print news sources currently in circulation, Morocco boasts several prominent daily and weekly news journals. According to the Minister of Culture and Communication, more that 260 news publications have been created within the last three years alone. The majority of publications in circulation are in Arabic and French, but more and more newspapers are appearing in Berber, English, and Spanish.
The establishment of the Moroccan Group of Professional Women Journalists (within the SNPM) in 1992 supports the increasing number of women journalists, newscasters, and publishers in Morocco. Recently, the Moroccan American Center for Policy hosted a group of pioneering women in Moroccan journalism who toured the East Coast of the United States, visiting and being interviewed by several renowned American media, such as the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and the Economist among others.
Since he assumed the throne, King Mohammed VI counteracted his father’s strict rule by allowing two journals, Le Journal Hebdomadaire and Demain Magazine, previously banned in Morocco, to reappear in circulation as of January 2001. Additionally, several journalists who criticized King Hassan II and had been sent into exile or imprisoned were released and allowed to return to Morocco. Today, the King continues to make reforms to the Press Code in conjunction with his plans for democracy, and thereby a freer press for Morocco. An excerpt from HM the King’s speech on Throne Day July 30, 2005, highlights these goals:
“We have managed to introduce decisive institutional and political reforms, which have created new momentum and given substance to democratic practice in our country. Today, we want the normal exercise of democracy to be deeply-rooted in our society.”
In an article addressing Morocco’s call for autonomy for the Western Sahara, the International Herald Tribune praises the progressive nature of the current state of Moroccan political reforms:
“…Moroccans now boast a lively press, a vibrant civil society and women freed from constraints common in other Arab societies. Moroccans also have held relatively free municipal and parliamentary elections.”
