History

Morocco has a long tradition of state ownership - and control - over the media, dating back to post-independence times. After 1956, controlling the press became a way to control the message and gain freedom from companies that used to be French-led. 

From the creation of Radiodiffusion Télévision Marocaine[RTM]in 1963 to the acquisition of the Mas Group in 1971 until the airwaves were liberalized in 2005, the State exercised a monopoly over the media. Since then, private print media becamevibrant with opinion and partisan press, but the economical environment forced a more consensual position upon the sector.

Today, red lines are still determined by the Palace and its inner circle and, despite a window of pluralism, diversity of opinion is still at stake.