Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, announced on Friday in Rabat his ministry’s intention to launch new reforms in the press sector aimed at addressing gaps and legal vacuums revealed through practice in recent years.
During the award ceremony of the 22nd National Press Grand Prix, the minister explained that the ministry is currently working on a new phase of reforms that includes amending the Press and Publishing Code, which encompasses the Press and Publishing Law, the Professional Journalist Law, and the National Press Council Law.
Bensaid confirmed that these reforms are being implemented through a participatory approach with the Provisional Committee for Managing Press and Publishing Affairs and the most representative professional organizations of publishers and journalists. He indicated that the goal of these reforms is to provide a high-level professional work environment for journalists and a suitable working climate for national media institutions.
In a related context, the minister revealed the issuance of a new decree to support the press and publishing sector in cooperation with the Ministry Delegate in charge of the Budget. This decree aims to support the continuity of major historical national media institutions while establishing a regional support system for small and regional media institutions without exclusion.
Regarding Moroccan media sovereignty, Bensaid indicated that the new decree gives Moroccan media institutions a real opportunity to invest outside national territory, based on the ministry’s conviction that national press and Moroccan public space have a significant position at both regional and continental levels.
The minister concluded by referring to the new challenges facing sports journalism in light of Morocco’s organization of the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal, emphasizing the need for training, creating a high-level discussion space, and providing the necessary human and material resources to accompany this global sporting event.