Morocco’s licensing regulator, the High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HACA), in a news release published on Thursday called for the safeguarding of citizens’ rights to “vigilant and trustworthy media content,” citing a case involving the fabrication of fictitious offenses and the dissemination of false information during a radio broadcast by well known radio host on Hit Radio Mohamed Bousfiha, known by his fans as “Momo.”
The origin of what is being called the “Momo affair” occurred on Thursday, March 21, when a listener of Bousfiha’s “Momo Ramadan Show” is alleged to have invented a bogus crime, shown disdain for a constituted body, and broadcast fabricated information.
The listener was alleged to have deliberately faked a phone theft during a live broadcast. The listener told the radio station that his smartphone had been snatched, and spoke of the alleged inaction of the authorities, before the host announced his decision to offer him a new device.
The authorities reacted immediately and directly, opening an investigation to determine whether what the listener had presented on air as a crime was actually a crime, in order to arrest, if necessary, the presumed culprits. The investigation revealed, however, that the claims were a hoax, misleading listeners with fabricated facts, for whatever purposes the courts are now about to determine. The guest’s remarks were also deemed to “reflect a distorted image of a country characterized by chaos.”
In its news release, noting that accused persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, HACA cited a number of “principles” governing the responsibility of radio and television stations to ensure citizen safety.
Founded in the Constitution’s concept and spirit, current law and regulations, and the legal norms established by the High Authority’s activities in this field, HACA argued that the principles “have no bearing on” audiovisual operators’ editorial independence.
They even help to preserve this freedom, it asserted, which is at the heart of media practice and the right to information.
It further stated that the ideas and processes of self-regulation outlined in the audiovisual operator requirements are far from “a regulatory luxury.”
The regulator asserted that its establishment of the principle of editorial responsibility for radio and television services and the duty of on-air control are not ends in themselves.
HACA regularly assesses the honesty and integrity of information and programs, both in terms of editorial content that the radio and television professionals create and present, as well as the gathering and airing of citizen commentary.
The ultimate goal of the regulator’s action when it intervenes, it argued, is to prevent the listener/viewer from being misled about the veracity of the information broadcast as well as the identity and quality of the people interviewed, and to ensure accurate information in accordance with professional ethics.
HACA thus urged all audiovisual operators to step up their efforts to promote responsible media activity and minimize the impact of what it called “dangerous activities” inherent in an uncontrolled digital environment, which can have major consequences in the real world.
After the Momo affair, Hit Radio, Bousfiha’s employer, stated in a release that the radio station “strongly refutes any involvement of the station in the commission of these acts,” which it asserted are “totally contrary” to its values. It denied any link with the people behind the alleged actions.