Morocco’s Press Council (CNP) sent a complaint to the French Council on Journalistic Ethic and Mediation (CDJM) for violations it observed committed by both the Charlie Hebdo and La Libération outlets during their coverage of the events of the earthquake that struck Morocco on September 8, 2023.
On Sept. 15, Charlie Hebdo published a caricature that the CNP deemed detrimental to earthquake victims who were and still are in dire need of support, many of them have lost their families and sources of income, among them orphaned children. The CNP called this “an unacceptable act” and claimed that the cartoon violated humanitarian principles.
As for the La Libération, on Monday Sept. 11, they published a photo on their cover of an alleged female victim of the earthquake, entitled “Aidez nous, nous mourrons en silence” (Help us, we are dying in silence), which the CNP criticized as misleading. They reviewed videos of interviews with the woman and assert that what she actually said did not align with the published headline.
The headline and cover photo, the CNP adds, undermine the efforts of Moroccan authorities, rescue teams from other countries, and Moroccan and foreign volunteers. It also accused La Libération of spreading false news and falsifying facts and described the editorial decision as “a blow “to the credibility of the journalistic and professional work that is required when dealing with humanitarian issues, especially during natural disasters.
The CNP, along with Morocco’s Press Union (SNPM) had previously condemned several French news outlets for engaging in what they called “an anti-Morocco campaign” following the earthquake that struck the country. This joint press release had mentioned the Charlie Hebdo and La Libération incidents, and criticized the French media in general for suggesting that Morocco did not accept humanitarian aid from France for purely political reasons.