Agadir – The Moroccan Young Journalists Forum has condemned the expulsion of a 2M television crew from Ceuta, calling on Spanish authorities to guarantee journalists’ freedom to work and urging Spanish media outlets to uphold professional and ethical standards in their coverage of migration-related developments.
In a statement issued on Saturday, August 15, the Forum said it was following with concern developments surrounding media coverage on both sides of the border with Ceuta, particularly measures affecting the working conditions of several journalistic teams.
The Forum said the sensitivity of the situation, given its humanitarian, security, and political dimensions, requires guarantees for press freedom and respect for professional standards.
It specifically condemned the treatment of a Moroccan 2M crew by Spanish authorities in Ceuta, saying the team was expelled and prevented from continuing its journalistic work, while its filming equipment was also seized.
The Forum argued that journalists’ right to carry out their professional duties should not depend on the nationality of their media organization or its editorial line.
The statement also referred to a reciprocity measure taken by Moroccan authorities, who asked teams from Spanish public broadcaster TVE and news agency EFE to leave Fnideq while covering developments linked to attempts to migrate toward Ceuta.
According to the Forum, the timing of the two measures reflects the principle of a corresponding response in the treatment of media teams amid intensive coverage of developments in the area.
The organization stressed that press freedom and journalists’ access to information should be guaranteed to all media outlets without discrimination.
It added that defending these principles requires applying the same standards to Moroccan and Spanish journalists alike, without selective treatment based on a journalist’s nationality or the media organization they represent.
Call for responsible coverage
The Forum also called on Spanish media outlets to assume their professional and ethical responsibilities when covering migration attempts toward Ceuta.
It said images and videos documenting highly sensitive humanitarian situations, including scenes involving suffering and risks to people’s lives, should not be removed from their broader humanitarian and factual context or used selectively to support predetermined political or ideological narratives.
The organization said professional coverage of such events requires journalists to present facts within their full context, verify information, use diverse sources, and clearly distinguish between reporting, commentary, and interpretation.
It also called for respect for the dignity of people whose conditions and suffering are documented.
The Forum warned against turning migration-related human tragedies into material for political confrontation or using them to create stereotypical and selective portrayals of one side.
It further stressed that responsible media coverage should not reduce complex developments to isolated images or video footage detached from their humanitarian, security, social, and political contexts.
Instead, it said coverage should explain the different factors surrounding events, scrutinize the actions of all parties involved, and provide the public with the information necessary to understand developments without sensationalism or polarization.
The Moroccan Young Journalists Forum called on Spanish authorities to guarantee journalists’ freedom to work and enable them to perform their duties under safe and professional conditions.
It also urged media outlets on both sides to cover developments related to Ceuta and migration according to principles of accuracy, balance, and professional responsibility, while protecting press freedom, human dignity, and the public’s right to complete and contextualized information.
