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The Moroccan Federation of Newspaper Publishers (FMEJ) on Saturday denounced a new eligibility requirement for public aid allocated to the media sector this year.
In a statement, the federation said the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication had circulated a list of required documents introducing a new condition for small online and regional media outlets. Under the measure, these companies must employ at least five journalists holding professional press cards, in addition to the publication director, who must also hold a press card.
According to the FMEJ, the requirement was introduced unilaterally and without prior consultation with industry stakeholders. The federation recalled that it had already opposed the government decree on public aid published in December 2023, as well as the related joint ministerial decision, arguing that both rely on turnover and capital criteria at the expense of the principle of media pluralism enshrined in Morocco’s Press and Publishing Code.
The organization further pointed to the Constitutional Court’s ruling on the law reorganizing the National Press Council (CNP), which rejected mechanisms that could allow a single professional organization to monopolize the representation of newspaper publishers within the self-regulatory body. According to the FMEJ, that ruling should have led to the abandonment of turnover-based criteria and the principle of mandates.
Against this backdrop, the federation warned that the ministry’s latest decision could deprive dozens of small and regional media companies of public support. It argued that limited resources, coupled with difficult economic conditions in many regions, could push numerous outlets toward bankruptcy and eventual closure.
The FMEJ also voiced concern over the potential impact of the measure on media pluralism and diversity across Morocco’s press landscape.
