Morocco’s provisional committee overseeing the press and publishing sector accused French newspaper Le Monde on Friday of violating journalistic ethics and professional standards in a six-part series on the country’s political situation.
In a statement obtained by Hespress, the committee said the series relied heavily on unnamed or unverifiable sources, such as “a Western diplomat,” “an insider at the palace,” or “a French diplomat,” without providing credible attribution.
The statement noted that even when sources were named, they lacked legitimacy in discussing sensitive matters, in violation of the newspaper’s own code of conduct for journalists.
The committee also criticized the publication’s use of speculative and anecdotal material, describing much of it as “cafeteria talk” or “hallway gossip,” including claims from a British freelance journalist who spent only a few months in Morocco. The report said the series exaggerated situations through vague language and negative interpretations, presenting unverified assertions as fact.
“Overreliance on anonymous and unverifiable sources undermines the factual value of the claims published by the newspaper,” the committee said. It added that the series resorted to defamation and pejorative language prohibited under professional codes of conduct.
The committee emphasized that rigorous journalism relies on documented sources, field research, multiple verifiable perspectives, and transparent methodology, standards it said Le Monde failed to uphold.
The statement concluded that the committee expects the Le Monde Editors’ Association, which oversees adherence to journalistic ethics, to intervene to correct the alleged violations and restore credibility in the newspaper’s reporting on Morocco.
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