Bensaid denies exclusion of hijabi presenters from news bulletins on public channels

Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid has dismissed claims of a “hijab ban” for news presenters on public television channels following parliamentary questioning and a wave of public controversy sparked earlier this year by a senior journalist’s personal reflection.

Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid addressed the controversy in a written response to Khalid Satti from the National Union of Labor in Morocco.

“the National Radio and Television Company (SNRT) emphasizes explicitly and unequivocally that attire, including the wearing of the hijab, does not in any way constitute a professional barrier to presenting news broadcasts, nor is it used as a criterion for exclusion or preferential treatment,” Bensaid said.

“The assignment of presenting news bulletins is based only on professional competence, merit, and adherence to professional ethics,” he explained.

He argued that the Moroccan public broadcasting service is built on principles of equality and non-discrimination, noting that veiled journalists already participate in various news segments and programs across national channels.

The Minister’s statement was prompted by the widespread reactions to a Facebook post published in January by Nadia Layoubi, a journalist, editor-in-Chief and host at 2M. In her post, Layoubi had shared a personal reflection that touched a nerve with the Moroccan public, lamenting the fact that the news desk remains out of reach for women who choose to wear the headscarf.

“It saddens my heart that presenting the news on our channel is still not available to us because of the headscarf despite our competence,” Layoubi wrote in her original post.

Following the massive traction of her words, she issued a follow-up clarification to contextualize her message.

Layoubi said that her words were not an accusation of harassment or a lack of professionalism within 2M, an institution she says she holds in “high regard”. Instead, she described her message as an invitation for a “calm professional dialogue” to ensure that talent and presence remain the true benchmarks for the industry, regardless of attire.