فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
Rabat – Following a series of professional and union meetings and seminars held during the last week of July 2025, a group of national trade unions in the press and media sector, publishers’ bodies, media organizations, professional associations, and stakeholders concerned with media and communication expressed their categorical rejection of the government’s proposed draft law to restructure the National Press Council.
These meetings were held upon the initiative of the Moroccan National Press Syndicate and the Maghreb Center for Media Studies and Research at the headquarters of the Moroccan Organization for Human Rights in Rabat on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. They were followed by a roundtable organized by the Organization for Media Freedom and Expression – Hatem on Thursday, July 24 at the Lawyers’ House in Rabat, and a study day held by the National Syndicate of Media and Press under the Democratic Confederation of Labor on Saturday, July 26. Additional workshops and relevant professional gatherings also took place.
In a joint statement issued after these events, the signing organizations confirmed their absolute rejection of the draft law, which they regarded as unconstitutional and a distortion of the self-regulatory philosophy governing the press and publishing sector. They clarified that the amendments submitted directly target the representation of journalists and media, aiming to strip the media of its essential roles and intensify targeting of journalists.
The statement also condemned the government’s unilateral drafting and swift submission of the draft law to Parliament, bypassing the rights of the journalistic and media community to participate and deliberate. This occurred while the previous National Press Council’s work had been frozen, and the possibility of renewing it through elections, as stipulated by law, was suspended. Such actions were described as a blatant violation of democratic values and the expectations of the public.
The organizations stressed that the current draft represents a recycled version of a previously abandoned proposal due to its unconstitutionality, resorting to appointment rather than election, thereby entrenching exclusion and inadequate representation.
To defend media freedom and the rights of journalists, the groups have begun forming a dynamic professional and rights-based coalition comprising professional organizations, trade unions, media bodies, rights associations, as well as prominent media and cultural personalities. The aim is to coordinate efforts and launch joint initiatives to counter this project, protect freedom of expression and the press, recognizing that media issues concern Moroccan society at large, not just media professionals.
The statement was signed by prominent organizations, including:
- Moroccan National Press Syndicate
- Moroccan Federation of Newspaper Publishers
- National Union of Press, Media and Communication (Moroccan Labor Union)
- National Syndicate of Media and Press (Democratic Confederation of Labor)
- Moroccan Press Club
- Organization for Media Freedom and Expression – Hatem
- Honorary Journalists Forum
- Moroccan Confederation of Publishers of Newspapers and Digital Media
- Union of Moroccan Journalists
- National Body of Newspaper Publishers
These organizations reaffirm their categorical rejection of any interference with the self-regulation of the press, calling for unity and solidarity to defend media independence and freedom. They pledge to undertake all necessary legal and protest measures to preserve the sector’s credibility and enable it to fulfill its national and professional mission.
