Media should not be used as 'terrorism driving belt,' official

Moroccan Communication Minister, Nabil Benabdallah, warned Monday against the use of the media as a "terrorism driving belt."

Speaking at the opening of a Moroccan-German forum, held under the theme "Terrorism seen by the media," Benabdellah defended, nonetheless, the freedom of the media because of "the important role it plays in combating terrorism."

Media action cannot be hampered under the pretext of terrorism, underlined the minister. Despite the concern of media institutions following the terrorist attacks of May 2003, he said, Morocco managed to avoid the pitfalls of the security reaction that limits the action of the media. Morocco is currently cited as a model in Arab countries given its openness and respect of freedoms, said the minister at the opening of the forum that is organized by the German embassy in Morocco in collaboration with Maghreb Arab Press agency and the German foundations "Hanns Seidel," "Friedrich Ebert" and "Friedrich Naumann."

On his part, German ambassador in Morocco, Roland Mauch, deemed that the media has the right to freely address information.

There is no objection that analysis and reports lead to understanding a given situation, or even to sympathy with one side or another, but it is not acceptable that audiences know only one part of the truth because of a media that cannot act freely.

An open rhetoric is crucial for our societies and our freedom, he insisted.

Several university professors and journalists from the two countries are taking part in this forum, that focuses on two questions, mainly the role of the media in tackling terrorism and the approach of dealing with terrorism in the media.