Bensaid expresses need for more bilingual media to reflect Morocco’s real-time growth

Mehdi Bensaid, the Moroccan minister of youth, culture, and communication, spoke about structuring the profession of journalism and journalists’ salaries in the midst of ongoing debate following the passing of a bill establishing a temporary commission in charge of overseeing the press and publishing industry.

“Today, we need Moroccan journalists who speak many languages and reflect a true image of Morocco’s evolution,” said the minister in today’s weekly press briefing, subsequent to the government council.

Bensaid applauded journalists’ fight against the spread of misinformation in this digital era.

The Moroccan Federation of Newspaper Publishers (FMEJ) and the National Federation of Press, Media, and Communication (FNJIC) affiliated with the Moroccan Labor Union (UMT) issued this Friday a joint statement on the passing of the aforementioned bill, to express their opposition to the decision, which promoted the minister to address many points today.

“As someone who has been in opposition for 12 years fighting that journalists get a raise considering many circumstances, their tasks, and importance in Moroccan society, I couldn’t hold back this opportunity, hence the ministry of Communication supports this in hopes that everyone eventually joins in,” said the minister referring to the bill.

The upcoming financial support that we’re preparing for with the Ministry of Finance will hopefully be linked to the social agreement, he further explained.

The government is ready to support journalistic enterprises, assuming that these enterprises make efforts in favor of journalists, he emphasized.

“The committee’s role is to hold discussions and bring us suggestions, a new perspective, to fix today’s issues,” said Bensaid.

The minister noted that it is good that Morocco now has a variety of media websites, indicating that there is material for writing and that there is ongoing communication between officials and citizens through media.

As for the national press council’s goals, he stated that they were pushed back by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In their joint press release, FMEJ and the FNJIC-UMT, denounce the attempt to present “a bill in which supreme authorities of the country were involved.”

Yet, the organization underlined the necessity to change the Moroccan press code, while not going against democratic principles.

The federations explained how the formation of a new Council through elections precedes any legal reform project.

The government spokesperson, Mustapha Baitas, addressed the Ramid” medical aid, disclosing that the government is still covering the medical needs of many Moroccan citizens as it sees it as a commitment to ensure that the beneficiaries’ rights are preserved.