French papers accused of 'unethical coverage' of Morocco earthquake
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Morocco's National Press Council filed a complaint against Charlie Hebdo and Liberation newspapers to the Press and Mediation Ethics Council in France.
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A resident navigates through the rubble following the 7.2-magnitude quake in Marrakech, Morocco, on September 9, 2023. (AFP)
A Moroccan media organization announced on Wednesday that it has lodged a complaint against two French newspapers regarding their reporting on the recent devastating earthquake that struck the country earlier this month.
The Moroccan National Press Council (NPC) revealed that it submitted a formal complaint to the Press and Mediation Ethics Council in France, urging appropriate measures against Charlie Hebdo and Liberation for their "unethical coverage" and violation of ethical journalism standards during their reporting on the disaster.
Read more: Broad Arab, international solidarity with Morocco after earthquake
The NPC specifically highlighted documented violations and incitement by the newspapers related to Morocco's rejection of a French proposal for assistance following the earthquake.
In particular, it cited an incident where Charlie Hebdo published a caricature on September 15 that encouraged "a lack of solidarity and discouraged contributions to support the victims of the earthquake in Morocco."
It also pointed out that Liberation had featured a story about a female earthquake victim with the headline "Help us, we are dying in silence." However, upon further investigation, the NPC said it found that the news outlet had published content that contradicted the actual statements made by the victim.
This is not the first time Charlie Hebdo got involved in such actions.
Following the catastrophic earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey last February, which resulted in over 50,000 deaths, the French newspaper posted a caricature with a quote saying: "There is no need to send a tank," in what was a political slam against Turkish President Erdogan at a time when the country was still in a state of total emergency and victims were still stranded under the rubble.
On September 8, a magnitude 7.2-magnitude earthquake rocked Morocco, claiming nearly 3,000 lives and leaving thousands injured.
At least 50,000 houses were fully or partially destroyed as a result in the strongest natural disaster to strike the North African country in a century. Residents whose homes were destroyed by the earthquake were sheltered in tents as a precaution against poor weather.
Rescue operations in the affected regions were met with some challenging terrain due to the presence of steep mountains, media outlets reported.
