This week I had my first week of classes, first Arabic quiz and now contemplate my first assignment. It’s been a lot to take in, and my brain has never endured such a workout. We begin each day with two hours of Arabic. We have started to learn the alphabet, but everyday there is new vocabulary. Even more confusing, we learn Fu’sha (or Modern Standard Arabic), but in the street and at home can hear anything from French to Darija (Moroccan Arabic). Note that Darija is often uses a completely different word to mean the same thing. When my host mother tries to teach me new words she’ll say them in Darija then French, and then sometimes in Fu’sha or Amazigh (aka Berber, or those who where native to Morocco prior to Arab migration). Communicating here is no joke.
Speaking of which, we have also begun discussing the media in Morocco. Besides Arabic classes my days have included a series of lectures and discussions about both journalism and Morocco.
Earlier this week we spoke with Driss Ksikes, the former editor-in-chef of Tel Quel who was tried in Morocco a few years ago after a humor issue went to far in its commentary on religion, sex and culture. He was given a suspended sentence of three years, but left the paper when told he should correct himself in the future.
One of the problems in Morocco is that censorship in the media is not highly publicized. Unlike China and North Korea, the government allows for a relatively free press, with a few exceptions: Any careful journalist knows what not to say about the monarchy, Islam and the Western Sahara (disputed territory to the South). As foreign journalists, our reporting isn’t guided by the same rules, however Al Jazeera, for example, was forced to close it’s base here recently, proving just how touchy the government is on the topic of the Western Sahara.
By the end of the week (and after another couple discussions) we looked at ethics, and again we looked at the importance of a program like this. More importantly, we looked at the importance of giving journalists the chance to discuss amongst themselves.
This is where taking courses in journalism can come in. I know journalism degrees make a great punchline. You’re going to school to learn a skill that traditionally people pick through experience. But in an age when anyone can turn on a computer or pick up a camera and make themselves sound well-informed, I think it is ever more important that their are others who follow the standards and ethical guidelines constructed through generations of trail-and-error. By simply talking about the difference between holistic and lacking reporting, we can create an environment of “news literacy” as Mary calls it. Society can learn how to navigate information overload so long as we take the time to understand what is credible and how every story could have been improved.
But as of now, my computer is out of battery and I have to go. So with a stomach full of cous-cous I’m running off to meet my journalism partner for the next three months! More to come…
Elizabeth Gillis 