Akhannouch's Government Funnels $134 Million into Morocco's Private Press: Who's Really Profiting?

Criticism of the government of Aziz Akhannouch in Morocco is mounting, with voices accusing it of exerting control over the press and publishing sector through public funding. 

Critics claim this financial support is being exploited for government propaganda, while also serving to eliminate competitors.

Observers and experts have called for greater transparency regarding the recipients of the funding allocated to the media sector. 

This support, introduced after the COVID-19 pandemic, was originally intended to shield the sector from bankruptcy and preserve jobs, according to the government.

Funding Transparency

"The public should know how the Ministry of Communication has spent over 1.35 billion dirhams ($134 million) in the past five years, since 2020, not including the first three months of 2025, funded by taxpayers for media companies that claim to be private and independent," Ali Anouzla, the journalist and editor-in-chief of the Moroccan news site Lakome noted.

In an article published on the local Badil website on March 24, 2025, Anouzla further noted that Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, stated that "the support aims to cover the wages of employees in media companies, including journalists, technicians, staff, and assistants, as well as income tax, health insurance premiums, and printing and publishing costs for the print press."

"The media companies benefiting from the support include 125 firms, for which the state has covered all employee expenses over the past five years, while 211 companies received a lump sum support (a fixed minimum amount)."

"Moroccan taxpayers have the right to know the details of how their public money is being spent, and it is the responsibility of the relevant ministry to publish a detailed list of the media companies that received support, along with the names and salaries of those who have received wages directly from public funds over the past five years, even though they are not employees within state institutions," Anzola noted.

"To remind, the relevant ministry under Saadeddine Othmani's government, prior to 2021, regularly published lists of the institutions benefiting from public support in its previous form. So why is it refusing today to disclose how public funds were spent on media support over the past five years?" 

"Among the media companies receiving support are party-affiliated institutions, semi-public entities, and private companies owned by individuals, including those with significant influence within the state."

"Among these are companies in which banking institutions, private firms, and foreign investors hold shares. Some of them receive undisclosed support from both known and unknown entities, all of which—without exception—are profit-driven, with some generating extraordinary annual net profits," Anzola continued.

Media Control Criticized

Union and political leader Halima Shouika asserted that "public support for the media came within a political context characterized by a decline in press freedom."

"This support aligns with the political climate in which those controlling the media landscape aim to tame the press, standardize its output, and undermine its independence," Shouika spoke Al-Estiklal.

She argued that this support is exceptional and peculiar, both in terms of the generosity shown towards specific, limited media outlets (amounting to 1.3 billion dirhams, or around $13 million), and in the exceptional and unusual methodology used in its distribution.

"It is also remarkable for the unfair and unlawful conditions attached to it, which sparked a wave of criticism from various concerned bodies, as these conditions contradict the provisions of Article 7 of the Press Law, which calls for equal opportunities, transparency, and neutrality," Shouika continued.

"The conditions for this support, instead of aligning with the essence of journalistic work and using metrics like readership, relied on other criteria such as the number of professional cards and annual turnover."

"This resulted in the exclusion of small, regional, and online media outlets, which experts estimate make up 95% of publishers, most of which have higher readership than those that met the support criteria. It’s as if these conditions were tailored specifically to benefit government-aligned media outlets," Shouika noted. 

The union leader warned that "the danger in this is that this support strengthens control over the media landscape, entrenches favoritism, and turns funding into a tool for ensuring conformity in the editorial line of supported newspapers, thus undermining the true role of the press."

"The role of the press is to seek the truth and expose it to the public, to criticize government policies that have led the country into an economic and social crisis due to the skyrocketing prices caused by speculators, monopolists, and those benefiting from public funds, without any corresponding reduction in prices."

"A clear example of this is the support given to 18 meat and sheep importers, which amounted to 13 billion dirhams ($1.3 million), yet this did not spark any major media outcry."

“It is evident that the adoption of these exclusionary criteria for distributing public support to the media is intended to control the media landscape and marginalize honest, serious journalism, all in an effort to cover up unpopular government policies.”

"The current situation of the Moroccan press is completely normal, with a typical composition, including a press that supports the achievements of the country," Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid stated during a meeting of the Education, Culture, and Communication Committee in Parliament.

"The government does not link support to criticism of the executive by the press," he added, emphasizing that "all governments around the world support the media, and all media outlets criticize these governments; however, we must not overlook the discussion when it comes to insults and defamation."

"The exceptional support for the press came in response to the unique circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the state deciding to cover salaries. In 2021, the government allocated 161 million dirhams ($16.1 million) for this initiative, which also covered income tax and health insurance premiums. The amount then rose to 167 million dirhams ($16.7 million) in 2022, 314 million dirhams ($31.4 million) in 2023, and 325 million dirhams ($32.5 million) in 2024."

"Exceptional support directed to party-affiliated newspapers, amounting to 1.4 million dirhams ($140,000) in total, adding that 'the cost of covering printing expenses amounted to 15 million dirhams ($1.5 million) in 2020, and 25 million dirhams ($2.5 million) for distribution.'"

The Moroccan Federation of Newspaper Publishers (an organization representing publishers) has consistently criticized the government's measures and its attempts to control key aspects of the sector, issuing statements since 2021.

In a statement released on February 4, 2025, the federation expressed its rejection of the ministry and the government's unilateral approach in crafting decisions that affect the sector, highlighting the lack of any genuine and meaningful consultation with the relevant professional organizations.

"The government’s support decree imposed impossible and peculiar conditions for supporting newspaper printing presses, which led to the exclusion of most of these presses from receiving any support. This was compounded by a decline in the representation of publishers on the support committee, with a single viewpoint being imposed within this committee," the federation stated.

"Public support has shifted focus to the condition of annual turnover, with a set amount allocated, meaning that the support is now geared towards capital investment in the press. This, they argued, undermines the democratic and human rights image of our country."

"This has opened the door for the exclusion of most small and medium-sized media companies, as well as regional press outlets, thereby undermining the plurality and diversity of the national media landscape."

"The lack of realism in the government's decisions regarding public support is evident, as these measures will, in practice, silence essential national media voices and lead to their demise, which presents a significant political blindness."

"The development of legislation and laws that uphold press freedom, injecting a broader democratic and human rights spirit into the profession and its surrounding environment, while also addressing the reality of training and continuous professional development, and finding the right pathways to meet this challenge."

Funding Critique

Parliamentarian Fatima Zahra Bata criticized the government's criteria for media companies to qualify for public funding.

"These criteria are unjust and will result in the exclusion of around 95% of media companies in Morocco," Bata spoke Al-Estiklal.

She explained that linking support to achieving an annual turnover of 2 million dirhams ($200,000) represents "a stark regression from previous gains, as it lacks the principles of transparency, equal opportunity, and neutrality outlined in Article 7 of the Press Law."

Bata pointed out that this decision "violates the law and undermines the intended goals of public support, which are to promote pluralism, develop reading habits, and support human resources."

"The support is exclusionary in nature and will allow only four companies to capture the lion's share of the funding."

Bata questioned whether the current government would "demonstrate the necessary courage and transparency to publish the lists of support beneficiaries," recalling that previous governments had made these lists publicly available for review.

She concluded that this situation "does not serve the press in any way and only weakens its role in society."

"At a time when the press in Morocco was supposed to be a tool for investigating corruption and uncovering the truth, it has now become an open arena for a group of individuals benefiting from public funding," Political activist Fouad Saadi noted.

In an opinion piece published on the local al-Mustaqbal website on March 24, 2025, Saadi stated that "a number of those benefiting from this support have turned the press into a platform for scandals, triviality, and degradation, spreading the most atrocious types of news that undermine the public’s awareness."

"What is truly strange is that they have not only tarnished the image of the press, but they now promote themselves as defenders of professional ethics and champions of journalistic integrity, while they themselves are deeply immersed in actions that damage and cheapen the very press they claim to protect."

"While public support was supposed to be used to encourage serious and professional journalism, we find that these individuals have hijacked this funding to deepen the gap of media chaos."

Saadi criticized the "dominance of these figures over the media landscape, pushing personal agendas at the expense of the public good, and preventing the press from serving as a platform for truth and accountability."

"The authorities stand by as mere spectators, leaving the press at the mercy of a handful of opportunists, who know nothing of the profession except how to drain public funds under the guise of public support, as if they were official employees in a very exclusive sector: the industry of media profiteering," he stated.

"Who will take responsibility for the damage these individuals have caused to the journalism profession?" Saadi questioned, emphasizing that there will be no free or honest press until these people stop manipulating public funds.

Press Crisis

"The authorities stand by as mere spectators, leaving the press at the mercy of a handful of opportunists, who know nothing of the profession except how to drain public funds under the guise of public support, as if they were official employees in a very exclusive sector: the industry of media profiteering."

"Who will take responsibility for the damage these individuals have caused to the journalism profession?" Saadi questioned, emphasizing that there will be no free or honest press until these people stop manipulating public funds.

The opposition Justice and Development Party (PJD) has called on the government to immediately withdraw the proposed law, expressing its full rejection of the measure.

In a statement released by the party's General Secretariat, it argued that the correct legal solution would be to empower the committee established under the current law, chaired by a judge, to oversee the organization of elections to select new members for the council.

The party viewed the proposed law as "a regressive step that strikes at the very core of democratic gains."

Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Group of the Progressive Socialist Party (an opposition faction) emphasized that the National Press Council is facing an unprecedented legal crisis, following the expiration of its mandate extension in April 2023.

In a joint statement, both the Moroccan Federation of Newspaper Publishers and the National Union of Journalists (a journalist union affiliated with the Moroccan Labor Union) condemned what they described as an "attempted takeover of a self-regulatory body."

The party argued that the proposed law is "unconstitutional, damaging to the Kingdom's human rights image, and a dangerous regression in the independence of the press," pointing to the executive branch's interference in the self-regulation of the profession.

Meanwhile, public debate in Morocco continues to revolve around the National Press Council, led by former leftist Yunus Mjahed, following its refusal to renew the press card of journalist Hamid Mahdaoui, known for his outspoken criticism of the government and Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch.

"The council is denying him his right to a professional press card, paving the way to prevent him from practicing journalism under the pretext of not having the necessary card," Mahdaoui concluded.