On Saturday, the authorities asked several Spanish television crews, including journalists from the EFE news agency and public broadcaster TVE, to stop filming and leave the city of Fnideq. An authorized source confirmed the measure to us. «They were free to shoot some footage, but were politely asked to cut their filming short and leave the city,» the source told us.
While some Spanish media outlets were quick to portray the decision as an infringement on press freedom, the facts point to a very different reality: the strict application of the principle of reciprocity and compliance with legal frameworks.
The decision falls squarely within this principle of reciprocity and follows the conduct of the Spanish authorities in the occupied city of Ceuta. A few days earlier, a reporting crew from Morocco’s second television channel, 2M, had been prevented from covering events there. Spanish police categorically refused to allow their filming equipment into the city. Forced to work under difficult conditions, the 2M journalists had to document the situation of young migrants using only their mobile phones. Despite these constraints, the footage they broadcast exposed alarming living conditions marked by shortages of water and food.
The ban imposed on EFE and TVE journalists in Fnideq therefore constitutes a mirror response to the obstruction faced by the Moroccan channel. «And even then, the Spanish crews were able to enter Fnideq and begin their reporting, whereas the 2M crew was simply barred from bringing its equipment into Ceuta,» our source explained.
The message is unequivocal: respect for freedom of expression and the ability of journalists to freely exercise their profession cannot be subject to double standards. They must apply equally and fairly on both sides.
Read also : Rights violations in Ceuta: Morocco’s CNDH calls on Spanish Ombudsman to investigate
This episode highlights a glaring imbalance in the way some Spanish media outlets cover and condemn such incidents. The request for the Spanish journalists to leave received extensive media coverage and was portrayed one-sidedly as a restrictive measure against the press. Meanwhile, the Spanish police’s obstruction of the 2M crew’s equipment and reporting went largely unreported, without comparable outrage or condemnation.
Yet professional ethics and journalistic standards require defending the freedom to report without selectivity, whether the journalist is Moroccan or Spanish.
Beyond diplomatic reciprocity, the action taken by the authorities in Fnideq rests on clear legal and security grounds. Moroccan regulations require all foreign correspondents and media outlets to obtain prior filming permits from the relevant ministries. Informal filming without accreditation is not permitted. Strict oversight of filming in sensitive areas is intended to prevent excessive media exposure and gatherings liable to exacerbate tensions during attempts at irregular border crossings.
The measure taken against the TVE and EFE crews in Fnideq is, therefore, in no way an isolated attack on press freedom, but rather the reaffirmation of a fundamental principle. Media partnership and respect for journalistic work require mutual and equitable commitment.
