Monday, October 22, 2007

Online Journalism/ The Case of Morocco

Proposal:

The word news is a very important word in all languages because it communicates all the recent happenings in our environment. Every one of us is interested in a specific domain; there are people interested in politics, business or sports. Newspapers and magazines are from the most important tools that provide people with detailed information. In 1990s, the world witnessed the birth of a new technology that changed various aspects of our daily life. The relationship between news and internet, as a fast medium to transfer information, is very clear. Nowadays, in Morocco, newspapers and magazines are moving to online journalism. Therefore, how Moroccan media are using internet?
I am interested in this issue because I am majoring in Communication studies and mass media is the basic of my studies. Moreover, online journalism is becoming a revolution, and Morocco is adapting this new idea. This issue is also crucial because it is mixing two media in one which make it complicated.
I know that global newspapers and magazines such as The New York Times started online journalism many years ago, and they succeeded to reach a large number of people around the world. I also know that some Moroccan newspapers wanted to follow this wave such as Asabah, but they faced various problems at the beginning especially financial problems. I also know that the website of a newspaper or magazine should have daily supervising. Concerning this issue, I still need to know about the way Moroccan media use internet, and the reasons for which there is a shift to internet. Moreover, I still need to know about all the Moroccan online newspapers and magazines. I also need to know about the perceptions of Moroccans toward online journalism.

Outline:

Introduction:
- The importance of internet.
- Definition of online journalism
- General information about online journalism.
Body:
- First part :
The contribution of internet to the development of online journalism and media.
The effect of online journalism on the flow of information.
The characteristics and types of online journalism.
- Second part :
How Moroccan media are using the internet and why.
The list off all Moroccan online newspapers
Online and offline newspapers in Morocco
Online radio and TV stations in Morocco.
Conclusion:
- An evaluation of the benefits of Moroccan media.

Paper:

Introduction

The Internet is playing a very crucial role in all aspects of our lives. People start to use it in order to shop, look for different information about a variety of topics and as a source of news. Its use facilitates the exchange of information including images, sounds and videos. One of the significant aspects of internet is that people from all over the world are able to see and share the same information. For instance, if a video is published in Germany, I have the same chance to see this video as a German. Therefore, internet limited the physical, political and cultural boundaries. In the book, The Online Journalist: Using Internet and Other Electronic Resources, Elliot King and Randy Reddick define internet in this way “The Internet is not an organization. It is not an institution. It is not a club. You cannot become a member. Nobody owns the Internet; and strictly speaking, no body controls it, governs it, or takes responsibility for it. Internet is a term used to describe the interconnection of many computer networks in a way that allows them to communicate with each other.” (p. 17). From this definition, one can infer that the word “Internet” is a very complicated word. The complexity of internet may also be seen in the various uses and applications of it; for instance, it is used for electronic mailing, chat, World Wide Web and usenet news (King, Reddick; p: 25).
Journalism is a major aspect in all societies throughout history because people are interested in news. Richard Graig, an associate professor who support and believe on online journalism, talks about the technological evolution of journalism in his book Online Journalism; he says that the timeline of journalism moves from newspapers to newsmagazines to radio to television and then to online news (p. 8). Journalism is one of the fields that benefits from internet because different big news organizations believe that they can profit a lot from online journalism. Online journalism is defined as the reporting of facts produced and distributed via the Internet. It is not much different from print journalism in term of content, but it has a great effect on people, organizations and societies as a whole. Morocco adapted online journalism at the beginning of this century. How do Moroccan media adapt to and use online journalism?

Online Journalism is Different

Internet and the Development of Online Journalism

The contribution of internet to journalism is very significant because it facilitates the check of news. Nowadays, people are busier than in the past; they do not have time to buy and read newspapers in coffee shops, or to stop working and read newspapers or watch TV on a daily basis. An example of this statement is the New York Times sales during weekends that are higher than weekdays for a simple reason which is people do not work during the weekend (Dr. Hottel). People today read online versions of newspapers while working, so internet makes it easier and faster for people to know about daily news. In a research conducted in the United States shows that in general Americans are positive to the contribution of Internet to journalism “The results show that 53 per cent of respondents believe the Internet has had a positive impact on the fourth estate.” In my point of view, people favor online journalism because it provides what other technologies cannot provide such as the combination of pictures, sounds, graphs and videos. In addition, internet brings up a new kind of journalism that did not exist in the past which is citizen or amateur journalism. Citizen journalism means that people that are not professional in the field of journalism may also contribute online. The freedom of reporting about any subject is one noteworthy advantage of amateur online journalism, meaning that one can put anything on internet and everyone have the same chance to share it. The best example of citizen journalism is YouTube website which consists mainly of videos.

Online Journalism and the Flow of Information

Online journalism may play a crucial role in the flow of information. Before online journalism, most people believe that there existed only the one-way flow of information in which information move from developed countries in general and the United States in particular to developing countries. However, the appearance of online journalism makes a change by giving developing countries space to express their views about global issues. The launch of Al Jazeera English website that was made to compete with CNN International website is an example of the role of online journalism in balancing the flow of information between developing and developed countries. In this regard, Yahya R. Kamalipour states in his book Global Communication that “the Internet has greater promise in serving as an equalizer in the skewed flow of news and information globally” (p. 126). Online journalism also play a vital role in giving people the freedom to talk about topics that are not allowed or illegal to talk about using other means such as newspapers, radio or television. Kamalipour cites:
“A significant dimension of news flow on the Internet is that people in nondemocratic states are beginning to have access to uncensored news, analysis, and discussions about political developments in their own countries, even though regimes in such countries are jittery about the free flow of information.” (p. 126).
Based on this statement, the free flow of information is not only international, but it is also national. Therefore, online journalism opens the doors for people to talk about their local issues. One example about the national flow of information in Morocco is the “Kanas Targuist” video that shows and proves that Moroccan policemen still take and accept bribery. Some private newspapers already talked about the spread out of bribery within the security system in Morocco, but they never gave concrete proofs because they are not allowed to do it. On the other hand, the Moroccan television never broadcasted a similar video or reportage about this phenomenon. Therefore, online journalism is decreasing the ability of authoritarian regimes from preventing people to access to news and political debates.

Characteristics and Types of Online Journalism

Characteristics

Online journalism, as other news media, has its own characteristics and types. Although there is a number of differences between online journalism and print or broadcast journalism, there are also some points in common. In the same view, Graig says that the objectives of journalism, which are time, proximity and prominence, did not change from the past; nonetheless, technology has set new standards for measuring those objectives (p. 6). In general, writers and editors have to consider three principals concerning journalism which are the medium, the facts and the audience. In online journalism, the medium is known which is Internet. The online journalism facts characteristics are similar to the ones of print and broadcast journalism in addition to two other characteristics stated by Graig “two main characteristics that distinguished online journalism from its counterparts. Online media offered multimedia capabilities and the ability to update stories instantly” (p. 8). In addition to those two characteristics, online journalism also provides links to people in case they want to know more about a specific topic or issue. Audience is a very important aspect of journalism. Graig reports that Howard K. Smith says “the most irresponsible thing in broadcasting is to be dull” (p. 11). Engaging the audience is the main point that Graig gives when analyzing this statement; therefore, audience should be carefully taken into consideration. In online journalism, audiences have their own unique characteristics. According to Graig, there are three main factors that have influence on online journalism audience. The first factor is that “reading news online requires both a computer and Internet access” which means that the users should have stable financial situation and an adequate literacy level. The second factor is “online news requires closer concentration and interest than broadcast news because it is based on readings” meaning that the audience has an active role in selecting the subject. The third factor is “thanks to search engines and customizable news pages, online news viewers can choose to highlight stories and subjects they’re interested in at the expense of other subjects” (p. 12).

Types

Concerning the types of online journalism, I found that researchers in this domain have different views to the types of online journalism; however, I discovered that most researchers declare that there four types of online journalism. Mark Deuze, who is an assistant professor at the University of Amsterdam, believes that the four types of online journalism are “mainstream news sites, search engines and media watchdogs, media discussion groups, and finally share and discussion sites.” Mainstream news sites are news moderated from participatory communication such as CNN and Al Jazeera which are very important sites because of the role they play in providing online news. Search engines are simply sites such as google and yahoo that provides links to mainstream sites and personal weblogs, which are websites run by individuals. However, the problem with personal weblogs is credibility, and to what extent should we rely on news provided in them. Media discussion groups, are another type of online journalism, mainly discuss the media content and to work as a mediawatchdog. Finally, share and discussion sites provide ground for exchanging and discussion of ideas about a specific community or subject. (Deuze, 2004).

The Case of Morocco

Workshops on Online Journalism

Morocco, as most of the world, adapted online journalism because of the global use and need of this new kind of journalism. In this regard, there had been many workshops conducted by Magda Abu-Fadil who is the director of the Institute for Professional Journalists (IPJ). Those workshops were financed by the U.S. State Department’s Speaker’s Program, and they took place in Rabat, Fez, Mekenes and at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane. These workshops discussed different issues related to journalism in Morocco, and specifically the topic of online journalism. Those workshops were attended by different journalists, scholars and students; therefore, workshops can play a crucial role in clarifying the characteristics and types of online journalism.

Limits to Online Journalism

Online journalism is a new and fresh field of journalism in Morocco; for this reason, it is not well developed, and it still needs a lot of work concerning the audience, the job of the online journalist and the online writing styles. To first understand online journalism in Morocco, we should know some basic information about Internet. Access to Internet in Morocco is not restricted by the government; people have the ability to access any website they want, yet the government can stop any website in Morocco that can affect the national security. For example, the Moroccan government stopped googleearth because it allowed people to have access to private places such as military camps and the king palaces (Human Rights Watch, 1999). From this information, we can infer that the Moroccan Internet users could access any kind of websites except for the ones that monitor the king’s private life, military and the Sahara.
Media in Morocco started using online journalism in 2000 which might be considered late if we compare it to the United States that started in 1991, and in the year 2001, there were 12,878 records of online newsmedia. Today in Morocco, the number of online newsmedia does not exceed a hundred website which means that we still do not have an online journalism that can satisfy a large number of Moroccans. Online newspapers are the most common online newsmedium in Morocco, but I think that they still do not have a great influence on people because they contain the same information as the print version. In my point of view, Moroccans show a little interest in Moroccan online journalism because there is no additional information.
Moroccan online journalism still faces different difficulties in terms of content and technical development. The content of the online version is definitely the same as the print version, and sometimes the online version does not have all the information provided in the print one. I addition, there is a number of online newspapers that are not daily updated which makes people prefer to rely on the print version. There are also some newspapers websites that cannot be opened fast such as Asabah newspaper. Another problem that stands against the development of online journalism in Morocco is the price of newspapers. The price of newspapers in Morocco is much lower than the prices, for instance, in the United States; for this reason, I think that online journalism is more accepted and consumed in the United States than Morocco.

Online News Sources

After a research in Internet, I found that the first Moroccan online news website launched is menara which belongs to Maroc Telecom, the Internet provider in Morocco. It exists only online, and it does not have any print copy; there is a number of news providers in Morocco that exist only online. Concerning newspapers, the first online newspaper is L’economiste that was launched in 2001. The first TV channel that launched an online website is 2M TV. Citizen journalism also has a role in online journalism, and it is basically related to personal blogs. My conclusion, after checking all the online news resources in Morocco, is that newspapers are the most common source of news.
In Morocco, there are twenty-seven online newspapers that have also a print copy. These newspapers are Al Ahdath Al Maghribya الاحداث المغربية , Al Alam العلم , Al Bayane, Al Ittihad االإتحاد الإشتراكي Ichtiraki, Al Jareeda الجريدة , Al Massae المساء , Al Michaal, Annase, Annoukhba, Al Tajdid التجديد , Assabah الصباح , Asdae أصــداْ , Asahrae Al Maghribiya, Al Watane, Au Fait, Aujourd'hui Le Maroc, Bayane Al Yaoume بياناليوم , L’ Économiste, La Gazette du Maroc, Le Journal du Sport, Libération, Le Matin,La Nouvelle Tribune, L’Opinion, La Vie Éco, Le Journal de Tanger and Minbar Achaab. There also exist about five online news magazines which are la Gachete du Maroc, le Journal Hebdomadaire, Maroc Hebdo, Telquel and la Verité. Concerning the news sources that exist only online I found that there are nine which are Menara, Morocco Today, Morocco Chronicle, Casafree, Marrakech Info, Le Journal d’Oujda city, Al Jamaa, Haspress and Les Nouvelles du Nord. In addition, there are two online radios involved in news reporting, Radio Mediteranee International and Yabiladi. Regarding TV channel, there are two the 2M TV channel and Radio Television Morocco (RTM) that also could be included in Radio. Lastly, weblogs also play a role in providing news by amateur journalists, and there is a number of blogs that are active in this domain, and Rachid Jankari is one of the active people concerning online journalism through blogs in Morocco.

Conclusion

To conclude, online journalism is becoming an essential way to get information in the world. Morocco is one of the countries that its media are enhancing online journalism and encouraging people to adapt it. Online journalism is a different way to present news stories to people from television, newsmagazines or newspapers. Nowadays, those media encourage people to go online to get more information; for example, at the end of the news broadcasting in the CNN, the broadcaster informs people that the channel’s website provides more information to check. Therefore, journalism is witnessing a shift from offline to online journalism. In order to follow this wave, I think that Morocco should start enhancing the quality of online journalism by conducting workshops for existing journalists, teach online journalism in universities and invite researchers such as Richard Graig to give lectures about online journalism and the 21st century journalist.

References

Deuze, M. (2004). Types of Online Journalism. Retrieved October 15, 2007, from http://wiki.media-culture.org.au/index.php/Online_Journalism_-_Types

Gonzales, A. (2004). Knowledge Management Systems: Lecture Notes. Retrieved October 10, 2007, from http://mcs.une.edu.au/~comp292/Lectures/%20HEADER_KM_2004_LEC_NOTES/node93.html

Graig, R. (2005). Online Journalism: Reporting, Writing and Editing for New Media. Belmont, USA: Thomson Wadsworth.

Human Rights Watch. (1999). The Internet in Morocco: Free Expression and Censorship. Retrieved October 15, 2007, from http://hrw.org/advocacy/internet/mena/ morocco.htm

Institute for Professional Journalists. IPJ Scores More Hits in Morocco. Retrieved October 17, 2007, from http://ipj.lau.edu.lb/outreach/2006/04/morocco.php

Natalie, C. (2007). Journalism and the Internet: Friends or Foes. Retrieved October 17, 2007, from http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/240230/Journalism_and_the_%20Internet_Friends_or_Foes_

Reddick, R., King, E. (2001). The Online Journalist: Using the Internet and Other Electronic Resources. Orlando, USA. Earl McPeek.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Dear student,
You are in the right direction. What you still need an interview with some Moroccan online journalists and record their initial experience.