Moroccan media plays greater role in democratic transition, official

Morocco is going through a period of great change marked by the enlargement of the freedoms space and a will to enable all the media kinds and trends to accompany the democratic transition, said Moroccan communication minister and government spokesman, Nabil Benabdellah.

"We are heading to the reinforcement of the media role in the building of a democratic culture through criticism, information and education, given that the press has a teaching mission to enable all the categories of the Moroccan people be aware of the importance of this democratic experience," Benabdellah told the Moroccan News Agency MAP.

On the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day, The Moroccan minister said the reform process has gained speed in the past two years, after some impediments at the start, and in the wake of the media milieus expectations and aspirations expressed in the nineties.

He said TV and radio reforms were launched after the promulgation last year of the audiovisual Act, stressing 2005 has been a year of change for the public audiovisual sector with the transformation of the Moroccan Radio and TV broadcasting body (TVM) into the "Société nationale de radiodiffusion et de television" (national radio-broadcast and television company). Benabdellah also said the mission of the Moroccan second channel "2M" is being reinforced to further enhance its public information role.

The minister said his department decided to open the audiovisual field to the private sector, adding the "Haute autorité de la communication audiovisuelle" (HACA) is currently considering several broadcasting projects.

The audiovisual sector is on the eve of a "true revolution," which will enable to increase information sources, foster competition, improve the quality of the output and uphold freedom principles.