The perception of self-censorship among Moroccan journalists

Self-censorship, the deliberate suppression of one's own right for expression, has lately become a systematically normalised practice in Moroccan media. Since privatisation of the press in the 1990s, critical reporting on sensitive matters of genuine public interest has not been as conspicuously scarce as it is today. Both content quality and normative social responsibilities of the press have been subverted because of excessive self-censorship. This paper draws on this problem to assess Moroccan journalists' perception of their experience as self-censors. It gauges the personal, institutional, environmental, and discursive considerations that they recall while dealing with sensitive events and critical topics. The assessment draws on the assumption that self-censorship is a highly conscious experience whereby journalists are fully aware of the risks accompanying news reporting in Morocco. Their consciousness accordingly makes them forestall undesirable reactions from authorities and eventually either avoid certain topics completely or implement specific maneuvers when they have to report them. The paper uses a quantitative procedure to survey 120 journalists working in 9 popular newspapers and newsmagazines. The findings confirm the preset hypothesis relating the practice of self-censorship to journalists' state of self-consciousness and absence of professional agency. The findings also underscore important implications like: (a) journalists' socioeconomic profile as a potential predictor of their tendency to self-censor, (b) an extrapolated perception of gatekeepers and impermissible redlines, and (c) organisational culture as primary cultivator of self-censorship.