In this event, Fatima El-Issawi launches her report, investigating the status of Moroccan national media in the wake of the 2011 Moroccan Spring protests.
The pro-democracy protests of the Moroccan Spring provided the national media with an open season that could not last long. Then, entrenched ‘untouchable’ topics were debated in the public realm, including those related to the King’s centralised power; today, journalists work in a climate of control over the media fuelled by anti-terrorism slogans and the popularisation of the model of the journalist as defender of the status quo, in the name of ‘patriotism’. Today, self-censorship habits are widespread, and journalists fear retribution not only for what they produce but also for their political views. With media investment linked to political and ideological agendas, engagement in support of democratic values is not a priority for Moroccan journalists.
Event Details
Speaker: Dr Fatima El-Issawi, LSE Middle East Centre
Discussant: Dr Tarik Sabry, University of Westminster
Chair: Dr Jonathan Hill, King's College London
Date: Thursday 23 June 2016
Time: 17:00-18:00
Event Hashtag: #LSEMorocco
Location: Room 9.04, Tower 2, Clement's Inn, LSE
Attendance: This event is free and open to all, however registration is necessary. Registration for this event has now closed.
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Speaker
Fatima El-Issawi is an Assistant Professorial Research Fellow at the LSE Middle East Centre, currently leading on a collaboration project with the American University of Dubai entitled 'Arab National Media and Politics: Democracy Revisited', looking at changes in media practices in traditional media industries in Morocco and Algeria.