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| Morocco: Journalistic maturity needed |
| AHMED TAIBI | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Every time a Moroccan newspaper or magazine is banned from publication, a journalist or an editor investigated by the government, freedom of speech advocates and international media, like El Pais and Le Monde, cry wolf. They refuse to look beyond the fact that the government is “harassing” journalists and “suppressing” freedom of the media. They mount a campaign decrying the actions of the government as if they were unjustifiable, as though unethical, biased journalistic reporting were a myth.
The undemocratic quiddity of our government has been descried countless times before; It is an undeniable fact that the Moroccan government has sought to muzzle the independent media when it denounces its authoritarian practices, uncovers the suborn schemes of its elite, and calls for political accountability. Yet, when journalists who are more thrilled to see their names in print than to serve the public’s need to be informed publish information that is exaggerated and sometimes false, the authorities need to intervene. Often, when the government reacts to such conjectural and sensationalistic reporting, it is easily denied the benefit of the doubt and its actions are immediately labeled repressive and undemocratic. We forget that the mark of a free and responsible press is its obligation to stave off disinformation, especially the kind concocted by foreign intelligence services and designed to undermine Morocco ‘stability and adversely affect its economy. When, on 26 August, the Palace, uncharacteristically, issued an official communiqué informing the nation the king is convalescing due to a viral gastroenteritis (commonly known as stomach flu), Al-Jarida Al-Oula, Al-Ayam and Al-Michaal larded the report with speculations. Al-Michaal’s front page read: THE SECRET BEHIND THE KING’S ILLNESS; Al-Jarida Al-Oula’s Bouchra Edaou, citing an anonymous medical source, reported the cause of the king’s rotavirus infection as the abuse of corticosteroids to treat asthma; her article further assumptively reported that the king’s illness prompted the cancellation of his scheduled trip to Casablanca and a Ramadan religious conference; the government requested an investigation be conducted and Ali Anouzla, the editor-in-chief of the paper, and Mrs. Edaou were promptly called in to be questioned on the source of their information. Journalists from Al-Ayam and Al-Michaal were also summoned and questioned. Based on accounts by other Moroccan journalists, the government is trying to determine if the journalists used foreign sources who might be harboring ill-designs for Morocco. I don’t see in this a government campaign to squelch dissent. Allegation on the seriousness of the king’s illness could have adverse effects on Morocco ‘stability and economy. The U.S. followed the same course of action when it investigated Judith Miller, a New York Times journalist, on her implication in compromising the identity of Valerie Plame, a covert CIA officer and the wife of former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV. Miller ‘source was no other than I. Lewis Libby, then the Chief of Staff of Vice President Dick Cheney. Libby provided the information to Miller at the behest of Cheney and in retaliation to former Ambassador Wilson’s lack of support to the Bush administration’s efforts against Iraq. We don’t need self-proclaimed serious political newspapers dedicating their front pages to speculate on the king’s every sneeze and cough and divert the public’s attention from grave issues such as the recent utter failures of Morocco’s craven and politically naïve diplomats in addressing the Western Sahara issue. We need an independent media that exercises not self-censorship, but good judgment and selflessness in the conduct of their duties; one that adheres not to Delphic influences, but to personal conscience and unwavering character. Freedom is a greater responsibility; Al-Jarida Al-Oula, Al-Ayam and Al-Michaal demonstrated in this particular case that they could not strap it on and take charge. Let’s hope this is nothing more than a snag. A. T. B. Copyright © 2009
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a guest
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Democracy and Morocco, an oxymoron any moron could spot As an American who firmly believes in the bill of rights, I have a very simple statement to make. The first amendment guarantees freedom of speech, the 2nd amendment, the right to bear arms. When bearing arms is illegal, how can you expect freedom of speech to survive. |
Macadamia
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... Si Clutch, I was following your commentary just fine until you wrote this: "In Morocco we are going through an experiment, there are different levels of maturity within the public and private spheres of influence. They are all learning and teh result is not out yet .. stay tuned for another 10 years." Another 10 years? That would make it 20 before we know anything about this experiment. An experiment that has no plans, no details, and no delivery date makes people apprehensive and want to know more. It’s been 10 years already, Usually when you are halfway through a project, be it a painting, a road trip, pursuit of a degree or what have you, you can see signs of progress, and that’s what gives you more energy to continue. But if you don’t see any changes, or the numbers do not reflect the half way mark, you naturally start asking questions. And that’s what I the Moroccan citizen am doing. “Trust but verify”. And since I have no powers to verify, I used my own version “Trust then wonder”. I was excited at the beginning of last 10 years and I truly trusted in the system and now I am doing the wondering. But you Mr Clutch see this inquisitive behavior as sloganism. Blatant sloganism is what the government advertises through its media outlets. Every day, in every news session, and every project anywhere in the country carries some kind of message that goes like this: “Ta7ta shi3ar…………..Adimo9ratiay………..” : - ) That’s what I call a double whammy: A slogan mixed with an oxymoron. I only have this kind of reaction when I spot -being a professional mullet spotter- the two tone perm feather mullet. This one is as rare as Sasquash: - ) http://bestuff.com/stuff/two-tone-perm-feather-mullet Here’s how I see it: Any sentence reflecting the present and contains the words “democracy” and “morocco” is – centir noir, diziam dam- oxymoron. Let’s not kid ourselves and let’s call a Spade a Spade. A smiley on the way : - ) Instilling transparency and accountability can only be beneficial to the experiment you talked about. But the sad thing is, the laws of the land are not in support of these concepts, so what does one do, stay silent? Or ask questions and risk being silenced? Let me say it again. I agreed with author because I believe that national security and social unrest was at stake. Tabloidish* writings have no room in the journalistic world. Journalists are to be held accountable for information they divulge to the public. Publishing false information to sell more newspapers or to gain public spotlight is immoral and highly unethical. I know that government has a big advantage over the press but that does not give the press the right to be play with “godassat dial le7did” With most respect to Clutch and every one else. |
Clutchpirate
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Incompetence . Si Ahmed: Well said, well written and thank you for avoiding the typical slogan-ism. Si Moroccan Patriot: "a free press to insure accountability" .. indeed it is a great concept but unfortunately it is only a SLOGAN in morocco because there is no substantive press quality to support that mission. Fact is, there is no press quality as you claim. The press in morocco is like a printed blogosphere. No consistency, no quality, and no visionary/successful editorial line. By successful I mean an editorial line that has defined itself within the context of moroccan politics as they are YET figured out a way to influence and start the right debates. The press in morocco is merely mouth pieces through which elites hurl insults and accusations at each other. Si Tawfiq: They are obsessed and they know why ;-) They know the evil of being called an oppressive regime and the much bigger evil of letting certain elites get out of hand. They always pick the lesser evil :-) Always ask yourself who is funding these papers when none of them makes money month over month ... and why are they funding them! Si Kader: "Journalistic democracy is an oxymoron in democracies" One of the biggest lessons the US is learning in the middle east is that maturity in any political process is an ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT to the success of the democratic process. In Morocco we are going through an experiment, there are different levels of maturity within the public and private spheres of influence. They are all learning and teh result is not out yet .. stay tuned for another 10 years. Until then please refer to my conclusion below. In conclusion: el boulissi, like barlamani, like wali, like mqadam, like journaliste are all cut from the same cloth. They went to the same schools, frequent the same cafes, covet the same earthly trophies and would do anything to be important and powerful. But most importantly, they are corrupt, biased, incompetent, lack vision and have numerous allegiances none of which is to the higher cause of the country. Let's not fool ourselves! |
Myrtus
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... Thank you Laws of The Land, you nailed! American style freedom of speech is great and the most popular and most influential around the world. It works for America, but it's based specifically on American laws and is often mistakenly applied elsewhere around the world to add validity to one's arguments, whether justified or not. This in my opinion is what has caused much confusion and fueled conflicts in many countries, including Europe....especially France, Belgium, Denmark and The Netherlands with regards to Islam and immigrants, mostly thanks to politicians who thrive on populist ideas. Unfortunately some Moroccan journalists have adopted these tactics as well, in recent years. |
Mustapha El Kadimi, Casablanca
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... This is a response to the "Laws of the Land": You talk about the constitution as if it were some kind of divine rule that should not be discussed. Who wrote the constitution in your opinion? The Moroccan people? Their democratically elected representatives? The answer is NO! The constitution was written by Hassan II As a Moroccan citizen, I believe if the constitution goes against fundamental Human rights, then it should be re-written! As easy as that! |
Casawi
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... Citing the US an example hurts the credibility of this article. It is insulting to use what Bush administration did as a good example. Why not invade Algeria and bring down its regime and cite the US invading Iraq as an example as a reasonable justification for "protecting the vital interests of the country"? The heath of the King is an issue because the Monarchy does not believe in transparency. They rather kept their subjects in the dark. All these comments about "chaos and instability" are just speculations and fear-mongering tactics (a-la Bush). They have no basis in reality whatsoever. All Moroccans speculate about the King in their private homes and between friends. We all talk about the King but perhaps writer wants us to be put on trial. |
Laws of the land
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Mustapha Laroussi In the Moroccan Constitution, it is writen that there are three subjects that are sacred : the King and the Royal Family, the Religion and the Territorial Unity. The "Code of the Press" defines precisely the red lines. Every once in a while, a newspaper in search of sales crosses the line on one of those three subjects and gets spanked. This in not a matter of freedom of speech it's a matter of simply respecting the country's current laws. Laws may be different elsewhere, but in the same way some American laws (e.g. death penalty or the right to bear arms) may seem alien to say a Frenchman, the American people through its representants have established the laws in question and are required to abide by them. In the same way, if the Moroccan people want to change the Press Code, they can call upon their representatives to do so, but until then it's the law. Wether one thinks the law is good or not is a matter of political debate ; the application of the law is not, this is the very definition of a Law State. A journalist is subject to the Press Code, which gives him certain specific rights and duties and forbids him from specific things. He is not to decide for himself what that press code should be. Thank you for reading me |
Mustapha El Kadimi, Casablanca
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... It is rather pathetic that such practices and, while we're at it, such comments still prevail in 21st century Morocco. Your article is nothing more than a meek attempt at shielding the reality of the matter. This said, I retain a couple of statements you made which, in my opinion, lack credibility and common sense: 1- You are attempting at comparing the case of the Moroccan journalists in question to the celebrated case of Judith Miller. Nothing to compare, brother! The gravity of the latter is logical as it is linked to confidential information leak from a CIA agent and far from being mere speculations on the illness of a king. Remember the death of prince abdellah (king hassan's brother)? Although it was not published because of the then draconian authoritarianism of that era, everyone knew what the prince died of. Besides, if Moroccan journalists only speculate on such matters (to quote your own words) it is because they are never communicated what is going on by the authorities, save for everything-is-just-fine sort of garbage. 2- In your last paragraph you express your wish that Moroccan journalists "failed to address the issue of Western Sahara" and, at the same time, you claim that these same journalists are "biased". Is claiming that Western Sahara is Moroccan unbiased in your view? |
pastamaria
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... Mr Ahmed, Spain seems to have more clue on what's going on inside the Palace than the palace inhabitants themselves, and that can only be explained by the jailing of any Moroccan Journalist who dares to speak the truth or no truth. I think the palace/government is doing itself more harm than good when throwing Journalists in jail. I think a simple statement from mister Naciri, warning journalists not to jump into conclusions would have sufficed. Prosecuting and jailing is instead going for the kill. |
Ahmed T. B.
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... The issue is not comparing outing a CIA operative and the king’s stomach flu; the issue is what constitutes national security level information. Unfortunately, in Morocco, speculation about the king’s health the way Al-Jarida Al-Oula, Al-Ayam and Al-Michaal is tantamount to divulging classified military information. I agree that the fact remains most efforts by the Moroccan government toward journalists are to squelch dissent. I said so in my previous writings and in this article when I stated: The undemocratic quiddity of our government has been descried countless times before; It is an undeniable fact that the Moroccan government has sought to muzzle the independent media when it denounces its authoritarian practices, uncovers the suborn schemes of its elite, and calls for political accountability. And I agree the ultimate freedom is full and freedom of speech should be unhindered. But I also know that ultimate freedom is chimerical and freedom of speech unbridled by a personal conscience and a sense of responsibility is detrimental to society; we can not, under the banner of freedom of speech, say and write false allegations knowing the end result could very well be aggravating. In the U. S. for instance, the First Amendment is looked at independently, but through the prism of the fighting-words doctrine. You would agree, I am sure, that simply by the extent of their influence on the public, the responsibility is even greater on journalists. Disinformation is a cardinal sin serious journalists take extreme measures to avoid – assessing the source’s placement and access, qualifying his/her knowledge, validating the information. No journalist in Morocco will deny this fact: Al-Jarida Al-Oula, Al-Ayam and Al-Michaal DO NOT have sources with the placement and access required to report the information they published on their pages. Other than what the official communiqué put forth, there is no other information available. We are left with two options: either they are speculating and feeding the public misinformation, or they were being fed information by an entity which has a highly placed source within the king’s entourage. I am going on a limb here and say that the only entity with the savoir-faire, funds, and assets to run that type of operation is an established, government-run, foreign intelligence service. Some in Morocco suspect it’s Spain’s. |
Aita
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Rabah Lamouchi khaydar simo - your argument is: Algeria does no longer prosecute its journalists. My counter-argument is: July 14, 2009, Algeria prosecuted Rabah Lamouchi of Ennahar who was sentenced to six months in Tébessa. With that said, both countries are governed by dispotic regimes and quabbling over the issue is not worthwhile. |
khaydar simo
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... Aita, Your saying or the Moroccan saying does not apply. Algeria does no longer prosecute its journalists and Morocco is prosecuting them on a monthly basis. This is a fact that you cannot deny. Last month they burned telquel and nichane , this month they are going after the 3 newspapers. If I were you , I would be ashamed to side with those who take your freedom away. No matter what you can about Bouteflika, he is never forces us to kiss hands. I don't even thing that your King wants you to kiss his hands. do yourself a favor and stop kissing. it's demeaning. |
Aita
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touma zegiou Moroccan Patriot, civil courts handle private litigious cases such as car accidents and contract disputes between individuals or between private businesses or institutions. Not the case in this article. But I know what you mean. The case should be presented to what's equivalent to a grand jury in the U.S. Something we, here in Morocco, don't have. We're still waiting on the reform of our judicial system. We all want a free press, free from the Moroccan government and from other governments, their political parties and intelligence services. And that free press should be just as accountable as the government. Khaydar simo, as for bouteflika and Mouhammed VI, we have a saying in Morocco - Ash jab assabra l'hrir - translation: no comparison between viscose filament and silk. Bouteflika does not represent a centuries old institution. He doesn't even represent the Algerian people - not even the bald and short ones. If he dies this minute, there are hundreds waiting to take his spot. |
Kader
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... what journalistic maturity are you guys talking about ... You want to rule me I have the right to ask questions and raise issues ... Ali Anouzla is one of the most respected journalists in Morocco so is Nourredine Miftah of AL Ayam and many others and they have every right to question and raise issues if there is a reason to believe that the palace is BS'ing us thing that by the way happens way too often ... The funny thing here is that these journalists had the crap beaten out of them by the Interior ministry because they refused to reveal their sources ... I do not get people being more royalist than the King.. Journalistic maturity is an oxymoron in democracies, in Morocco however, and no one can dare tell me we are one [because we are not], journalistic maturity often equals being labeled as a traitor. sheers. Kader |
Tawfiq lasri
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... There is no democracy on earth that prosecutes its Journalists for publishing information that may or may not be true. Moroccan Government is so obsessed about the media, watching their every move. That's not how you build a true democracy. We live in the world of the WWW and I do not see how they can prevent dabbana from flying. We still have people who still use Lbasri's manoeuvrings to put down voices that are asking for Morocco to be better. I am not sure if M6 agrees with this style of governing by his government, I would be surprised if he encourages such stupidities. |
Moroccan Patriot
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Apologist Yellow journalism Accountability. A free press is required in order to ensure accoutability. I think there is no one who can argue with a straight face that accountability is indeed lacking in our country. When a journalist strays off course and writes disinformation, it is not the government that should step in, rather it should be the civil courts. Civil libel claims can be filed. When journalists are brought in for questioning by police agents, it does nothing other than foster an atmosphere of fear and censorship. Your example of Judith miller is disingenious at best. A free press should not fear the government, instead it is the beacon of freedom that helps to realize positive change. |
Macadamia
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... ATB I totally agree with you. The health of the head of the state is a matter of national security. Uncertainty may lead to chaos and unforeseen repercussions. Any journalist with character and integrity should stay away from tabloidish writings, for they do a disservice to their audience and their profession. MN |
Khaydar simo
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... There were hundreds of speculations about the health of Bouteflika when he got sick, and everyone in the Algerian media other than el moujahid and l'expression wrote him off and said that he's dieing, dead, about to die, or on his death bed but no one was investigated or imprisoned. Perhaps, Morocco should follow Algeria's example. |
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