Media control is concentrated in the hands of the political and business elite. The royal family is an influential stakeholder in an array of media companies, as are a handful of powerful business figures.
TV remains Moroccans’ preferred source of information, although this looks set to be overtaken by social media in the near future. The struggling press sector continues to see dwindling sales, and was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Many of the most influential business-focused publications are in French, but the vast majority of Moroccan news and media is in Arabic, with an increasing prevalence of Darija, the Moroccan Arabic dialect. The state provides some broadcast media in Tamazight, as do several radio stations.
The state is re-establishing control of the broadcast sector, buying out the most popular domestic channel 2M in 2021.
The large number of media outlets does not equate to a free media environment. Most outlets adhere to the political viewpoints of the government and its close allies. Some criticism of government policies and the economic situation is permitted, but the monarchy and Morocco’s policies in Western Sahara are editorial red lines.
A handful of independent, critical outlets remain active, despite intense pressure from the authorities. Their journalists are harassed and in some cases targeted with spyware and imprisoned on spurious charges.
Social media use has rapidly increased in the past decade. Facebook and YouTube are the most popular platforms by a considerable margin.
Disinformation is prevalent in traditional and online media. Pro-government media outlets are accused of spreading false stories to smear opponents. Networks of pro-government social media accounts have been known to mobilise against government critics.
There were 25.5 million internet users by December 2021, comprising 68% of the population (Internetworldstats.com).
