Moroccan media reforms outlined

Moroccan communication minister, Nabil Benabdallah, on Tuesday outlined a Moroccan plan to reform the country's media part of its push for more democracy and progress.

The reform program is part of the efforts made to keep pace with the democratic changes Morocco is going through," the minister said.

The plan revolved around the reform of the audio-visual media, the promotion of the media enterprise, the reorganisation and development of advertising sector, the promotion of cinema production, the consolidation of the Moroccan copyright office and the upgrading of human resources.

The audio-visual media reform seeks to liberalise, regulate and promote the sector through a law, putting an end to state monopole through the creation of a High Audio-visual Authority, the minister said.

Benabdallah touched on the situation of the Moroccan news agency, Maghreb Arab Press, noting that the agency is called to continue its development and modernisation program. He stressed the need to endow the agency with financial resources necessary for its development, expand its network of correspondents and bureaux, improve and diversify its product, devise a new scale of salaries and compensations and increase its revenues.

The minister stressed the need for the development of a professional press, able to play its role and meet the public's needs.

"We aspire to having a professional, independent and responsible press with a view to mobilising and involving the public opinion in the democracy and progress process," he said.