Marrakech- Morocco is moving forward with ratifying a new Code of Press and Publication, which will acknowledge online media for the first time and identify its legal framework. But is this new bill able to cope with the next decade of technology?
Answering this question, Minister of Communication Mustafa Khalfi told Morocco World News on the sidelines of the 2nd World Human Rights Forum held in Marrakesh, that it will be hard for this bill to keep up with the rapid development of technology.
He went on to add that the government is going to deal with forthcoming issues by ratifying new laws.
“Continuous reform is the only solution that we have. We have to be ready to deal with any new legal issue associated with online media by ratifying new draft laws,” Communications Minister Mustafa Khalfi said.
In this regard, Khalfi said that the government should encourage scientific research in the fields of technology in order to determine arising issues concerning online media.
“This will help the government propose new draft laws in order to widen the press and publication’s legal system to include the new legal issues concerning online media,” Khalfi added.
The new Code of Press and Publication will fill the current legal vacuum in the field of electronic media. It aims to achieve equality between print and electronic media and guarantee the freedom of both.
Under the new bill, the freedom of electronic media services is guaranteed to all. Moreover, news websites will be able to obtain the authorization to film in the public spaces in order to produce audiovisual materials.
This authorization will be granted by the Moroccan Cinematographic Center (CCM), and electronic media outlets will have to update their authorization every 12 months.