Tag Archives: Radio

Digital Divide In Morocco

As the internet begins to spread all over the world, it continues to spread in Morocco as the internet has become a huge medium for the Moroccan people, especially blogging. The government does not regulate or own internet sites like they do with newspaper, radio or television, which is a draw for people. The only sites they do stop from existing in the country are ones that are affiliated with terrorists and even let rebellious sites to post and exist on the internet in Morocco. Blogs are not regulated, so the people can say their believes and opinions on a forum seen by different people without being reprimanded by the Moroccan government.

However, the internet is still a problem for some Moroccan people as there is a digital divide in the country. Some people have access to the internet, while others do not have any. The Moroccan government has been trying for some time to bridge the gap between the digital divide, but to no prevail. A survey found that wealthier people use the internet more and the country would like to make it accessible for those that do not have a high income. There have been some improvements as from 2010 to 2011, the number of internet users grew by 70 percent. Many companies want to get rid of the digital divide and are helping to work with the government to push towards a future where everyone in Morocco has access to the internet.

Sources:

http://www.oafrica.com/ict-policy/the-use-of-the-internet-in-morocco-measuring-the-new-digital-divide/

http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/features/2012/10/12/feature-03

High Authority of Audiovisual Communication

Until 1982, television stations could only be owned publicly by the government, which created extremely biased media in broadcast and destroyed any competition in business that there could have been. But all that changed when Morocco adopted in the High Authority of Audiovisual Communication (HACA), which allowed television stations to be owned privately by citizens and corporations.

Despite television stations now having the possibility of being owned privately, there are some regulations that came with the creation of HACA. If a person wants to own a station privately, first they must apply for a license from HACA. After review, HACA will then grant a license if the agency approves. A person or entity can then start their own station, but HACA also has a certain set of laws and regulations that must be followed similar to the FCC in America. Besides television, HACA also regulates radio. The agency also works to improve the quality of broadcasts from both the radio and television.

As seen with print media, the Moroccan government is extremely critical of what is published. Most media outlets are not allowed to criticize the government and with HACA the government can make rules and regulations that disallows for criticism for government. So while HACA allows for private ownership in broadcast media, it also brings a type of control from the government. It is a good thing for the Moroccan people that television stations are owned privately, but there is still not the same amount of freedom in the press that we see in America.

All About Morocco and Egypt

Morocco-flag

The Kingdom of Morocco is located on the west coast of Northern Africa in a mountainous area known as the Arab West.  It has a population of about 32.6 million people and the most practiced religion is Islam. The political system in Morocco is a constitutional monarchy consisting of a king who holds most of the power and a bicameral parliament. The government owns the radio and television in Morocco. In addition, Moroccan citizens have access to over 2,000 Moroccan and foreign publications. The newspaper was the first major news publication in the country. Since the rise of the Internet, daily news is able to updated on the websites and many people follow it there. The journalists in Morocco are technically allowed to practice self-censorship meaning they have the freedom to report what they want to. However, this is only tentative though, because in the past it has been rule of thumb to avoid covering controversial political and social issues.

egypt-flag

Egypt is located on the edge of Northeast Africa and is the world’s largest Arab nation. The population consists of around 83.9 million people and the most practiced religion is also Islam. The Egyptian government is a republic, which is considered a representative democracy so the elected officials make the decisions instead of the citizens. Egypt is a major source for media in its Arab-speaking region because of the huge population and the independence from the government. Many people read their press and the TV industry supplies a lot of material for that region of the world. In Egypt, the most popular way to get news is through the television. Cairo, Egypt is the popular television hub among the Arab countries because of its use of satellite television. In the Egyptian constitution, it states that the freedom of the media is guaranteed, however this is not carried out the way it would seem. There are many laws and problems against this and the people are far from having freedom of the media.

 

Sources:      http://www.mongabay.com/reference/new_profiles/295mo.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14123019

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13313373

http://www.al-bab.com/media/freedom.htm