Morocco's media chief calls for trust rebuilding, citing digital risks and disinformation campaigns

Trust in media is a cornerstone of social cohesion and peace, especially in the algorithmic age, according to Latifa Akhbach, head of Morocco's High Authority for Audiovisual Communication.

Speaking at the fourth edition of the Global Media Forum in Shusha, Azerbaijan, Akhbach diagnosed the media risks pressuring societal cohesion and peace. She stated that the economic model of global digital platforms, driven by attention-grabbing and emotional engagement, has created new forms of conflict. The public sphere, she argued, has become a battleground where information control is paramount.

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The public sphere has become a battleground where wars are also fought, and sometimes primarily, through controlling information and news.

Akhbach pointed to an external media war against Morocco during the recent Africa Cup of Nations as a stark example. She described a disinformation machine employing conspiracy theories, hate speech, and racist rhetoric, amplified by viral social media tactics and sophisticated deepfakes. This campaign, she noted, created an atmosphere of hostility between Morocco and Senegal, two nations with deep historical ties.

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A machine of media disinformation, relying on conspiracy theories, hate speech, and crude racist expressions and meticulously fabricated content, especially through deepfake technologies, was amplified through viral social media methods.

To combat this media chaos, Akhbach urged for genuine responsibility and continuous accountability from all media actors. She stressed the need for professional self-regulation within newsrooms, including the ethical use of AI tools. Furthermore, she advocated for media and digital literacy education for the public, recognizing it as a fundamental citizen's right.

Akhbach also called for the accountability of global digital platforms, whose recommendation and content-ranking algorithms facilitate the spread of divisive and hateful content. She criticized these systems for often operating with biased protocols that disadvantage users in the Global South. Ultimately, she urged the international community to help every nation build a media system that fosters peace and shared living values, emphasizing that a safe public sphere is built, not dictated.

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A safe public sphere is not dictated, it is built.