Younes Mjahed writes: The Politician and the Self-Regulation of Journalism
The Moroccan House of Representatives discussed two draft laws concerning the reorganization of the National Press Council and amendments to the basic law governing professional journalists. While it is normal for debates to arise over any legislation, especially between the majority and the opposition, this situation is fundamentally different from many other proposals or drafts. The topic of self-regulation, as its name implies, concerns journalists and publishers who engage daily in discussions about their profession, rather than those who only recall it when it is presented in Parliament, after years of silence and neglect.
In various experiences witnessed in advanced democratic countries, professional organizations, through the consensus they reach, are the ones that define the shape and structure of press councils. These councils are more bodies of ethics than anything else, with public authorities only intervening to regulate what has been agreed upon and to endorse it. However, in some cases, they find themselves compelled to intervene further to protect the public.
One of the most notable instances occurred in Britain following the transgressions committed by newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch, and the self-regulatory body’s failure to address these violations. This led Prime Minister David Cameron to establish an inquiry, chaired by a senior judge, Lord Leveson, to prepare a report on the issue of journalistic ethics. Despite facing opposition from various sectors, including journalists and publishers, one of the key outcomes was the announcement of the Royal Charter on Ethics and the establishment of a press recognition body, approved by Parliament in 2013, which laid down the standards for self-regulation. Following this, two self-regulatory bodies were established: the Independent Press Standards Organisation, chaired by Edward Fox, a former justice minister and member of the House of Lords, and the Independent Press Regulation Organisation, led by Richard Aire, head of Article 19. While the first body rejected the application of the recognition committee’s standards and mandatory sanctions, the second adhered to its principles.
What we want to emphasize here is that the political intervention in self-regulation affairs was based on an inquiry led by one of the UK’s highest judges, not merely political expressions lacking thorough study.
A similar sequence occurred in Australia, where the Finkelstein Inquiry was established in 2012, resembling what happened in Britain regarding self-regulation in that country. However, the United States had been ahead in such inquiries, with Robert Hutchins, then Dean of the University of Chicago, heading a commission of social science professors in 1942. This commission worked for five years and produced a landmark report on the social responsibility of the press.
All these experiences relied on judges, researchers, and experts to produce reports addressing the challenges of journalistic practices and ethics, and their relationship with society. Based on the diagnoses and conclusions outlined in these reports, reform initiatives and steps were taken by professionals in the field, as well as by parliaments and governments.
The Moroccan experience, despite differing contexts, resembles what happened in these countries. A committee of professionals and experts, including a judge, was tasked with assessing the state of journalism and the issues of professional ethics and self-regulation. This resulted in a comprehensive report delivered to the government that covered various aspects of the journalism industry, particularly concerning the state of businesses, human resources, means to protect the profession from intruders, the economic environment for investment in this sector, advertising crises, and training in media fields. The topic of the National Press Council was just one of many discussed.
However, some politicians considered themselves above these studies and research contained in the report from the temporary committee managing the journalism and publishing sector. This report was crafted by experts in the field and supported by consultations organized by the committee, but those politicians ignored all that and appointed themselves as overseers of the profession and its self-regulation without any justification.
The difference between what happened in advanced countries and Morocco is that politicians in democratically mature nations respected the findings of investigative committees, while some politicians in our country disregarded them out of small political calculations, which do not align with the social responsibility that should bind everyone, journalists and parliamentarians alike.
