COVID-19 Pushes Morocco’s Print Media to the Brink as Government Suspends Publication

"This decision is obviously a blow to all publishers. The print media sector was already devastated, but it will be completely wiped out if the pandemic persists. [...] Today, we want to continue informing our readers. The two media are distributed on our digital platforms. But the Internet is not viable for us in the long run...," worries Abdelmounaïm Dilami, CEO of the Eco-Médias group (L’Économiste, Assabah and Atlantic Radio).

All the press bosses express the same concerns. "[...] About a third of our 330 employees are now on leave. [...] We have enough to last a few weeks. On the other hand, we have no visibility and risk finding ourselves, at some point or another, with a cash flow problem," says Mohamed Haïtami, CEO of the Le Matin group, to TelQuel.

Even Sochepress-Sapress, considered the leader in the sector, is not spared by this crisis. "We remain in solidarity with the authorities’ efforts to fight the pandemic; but for us, it’s an economic disaster," says Amine Bencherki, general manager of Sochepress-Sapress.

To stem this crisis, Abdelmounaïm Dilami indicates the way. "Direct aid is the only way to save the print media. But so far, no contact has been made with the authorities, the boss of the Eco-Médias group believes. I think it’s not the time to take the field; our country is practically at war against the pandemic." Except that Hassan Abyaba, the Minister of Culture, has made no proposals so far.