Morocco launches free daily paper

According to the Arab Press League, Morocco has taken another step toward a freer press.

Last month, Morocco celebrated the launch of its first free daily, a full-color, French language tabloid called Au fait.


Au fait has a daily circulation of 10,000; 14 peddlers in Casablanca and three in Rabat cover all the distributing, though it will soon be available in Marrakech. Devocean, a web service company created in Canada, started the paper.

The paper’s editorial team consists of two editors and one journalist. Thus, only 10 percent of content is original, the rest coming from Agence France Presse or Maghreb Arab Press. Like most free dailies, "Au fait is meant to be read quickly. Its mission is not to provide in-depth analysis articles," said Réda Sedrati, publishing director.

Surprisingly, but perhaps in smart business practice, au fait employs seven full-time ad salespeople. Advertisers have been enthusiastic but non-committal thus far.

Au fait certainly comes in reaction to the success of free dailies in other countries, but also to the gap in the Moroccan daily market. Many Moroccan dailies are very old, partisan, or both, and don’t cater to the average citizen. “The right to free information is now commonplace thanks to the Internet and one should not have to pay to be informed,” said Sedrati. "We were surprised to see how quickly people were seduced, even if the concept of free newspapers was something completely unknown to them. People keep asking our peddlers: "Are you sure, I have nothing to pay?"

The presence of Au fait is another milestone in Morocco’s journey toward a free, nonpartisan press.

Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news