Report on Media in Morocco - Arab Center for the Rule of Law and ...

profession, as their efforts remain unknown, and their moral and intellectual property
rights are not reserved most of the times.
Furthermore, the study indicates that rumors are still heavily prevalent among
professionals. They do not affect only the "Sidewalk Press" but go beyond it to affect
the press that should stand up against such type of practices. The study confirms that
"the yellow press is a special example of moral degradation. Certain tabloids
specialized in political blackmail and start-up of battles, virtual at times and marginal
at others; while others were devoted to crimes and offense against the dignity of
citizens, men, women and children alike, supporting its published stories with colored
photos."
The cases which the study says the union has examples of include racial
discrimination 94 , the restructuring of some statements and interviews (for example the
aforementioned case of the artist Omar Sayyed), the use of headlines that are not
related in any way to the content and bribery…
We can add to that the exploitation of certain circumstances to obtain confessions
from certain people. What Channel 2 did during 2005 in one of the prisons is a
remarkable example on that. When detainees from the desert area went on a hunger
strike, a team of journalists of the said channel, and in agreement with the prison
management, installed a hidden camera inside the prison to record the conversations
of the prisoners. The channel broadcast a report from inside the prison that included
statements obtained from those prisoners by manipulation. The purpose behind this
report was to show that what the hunger strikers claimed about their being forced to
go on such strike was not true. This practice was not only a blatant violation of the
ethics of the profession but also of the Moroccan law that bans the publication of
prisoners' photos without their permission.
2-1-2 Fighting Corruption
The Press Law does not include any provision relating to fighting bribery in the
media. However, the criminal code, implemented in this case, considers bribery a
crime. The Collective Agreement for Professional Journalists considers nonobservance
of these ethics (especially in cases of bribery) as severe errors that should
be punished (Article 14).
This practice is common in the media, and is brought up especially in sports press and
among local correspondents. The opinion poll revealed the said facts: 52% of those
polled said that journalists are prone to accepting bribes. The said practice takes many
forms. Sometimes a sum of money is directly offered to certain journalists. At other
times, services are offered to them, such as recruiting relatives, or providing facilities
related to lodging or vacations…
Proving bribery is difficult because is the practice is usually carried out in complete
secrecy between the briber and the bribed. However, some cases did come to light. In
2002, more than one Moroccan newspaper published a list of correspondents in the
city of al-Jadeedah whom local authorities provided with services (finding jobs for
their relatives). The said list was prepared by a branch of the Moroccan Association
for Unemployed Graduates which considered that its members were more deserving
of the said positions. However, the law was not enforced to combat such practice nor
94 "al-Shamal" regional newspaper, in one of the issues of 2005, described African immigrants that
emigrate to Morocco, in an attempt to have access to Europe, as "Black Locusts", triggering reactions
in the Morccan media, before its publishing director apologized, considering that as an unintentional
error.