With the complicity of the directors of his newspaper, Quentin Müller publishes a prodigious number of fabricated elements about Morocco, which ferment in the infested vat of inauthenticity. A production that has exactly the anger or rage of the crowds, and which rarely rises above that level.
“He had used a tourist visa while traveling to Morocco for professional reasons, which was seen as an attempt to circumvent the kingdom’s administrative rules. I’m going to tell you: Marianne, who doesn’t like controversy, is not intended to serve as an interpreter for poorly contained resentment.”confides to Barlamane.com a contributor to Marianne magazine, O., who has worked with journalist Quentin Müller for many years. “We don’t say it, but after this controversy, the sales of the magazine, which leads a troubled and uncertain existence, collapsed in Morocco and we deplore it because this controversy still entangles our material resources at a time when the newspaper is looking for a buyer and a way to live honorably in competition with his colleagues. In addition, the web version of our site is consumed clandestinely in the kingdom.
In 2023, Quentin Müller, journalist for the French review Mariannefound himself in turmoil for violations of Moroccan laws, in particular Law No. 88-13 relating to the press and publishing. He was suspected of having carried out journalistic activities without authorization, a serious offense under Moroccan regulations. Morocco requires foreign journalists to have prior accreditation, a well-known rule. In Rabat, we almost joke: “the society of editors of Marianne, requires the adoption by the future buyer of an ethical charter relating to the non-intervention of the shareholder on the content of the newspaper. She must write a second one on the hijacking of the magazine by unethical journalists.”
Ongoing violations
According to unofficial sources, Quentin Müller (who published a bogus investigation into King Mohammed VI) also contravened Law No. 02-03 governing the entry and stay of foreigners in the country. He put forward falsified reasons to justify his presence in Morocco, initially claiming to cover the earthquake that hit Morocco in September 2023. However, they would have deviated from his primary mission to investigate in Rabat on questions unrelated to the earthquake. earth. “With this in mind, the Marianne review and the work of Müller could play the role of relay to disseminate a supposedly negative image of the Moroccan monarchy in Europe. This raises the question of the editorial independence of certain French media, perceived as instruments for certain ideologies.tells us a source close to the matter.
“I haven’t read everything, but the pamphlet tone in these investigations that you mention concerns very isolated and difficult to verify facts. Did he refrain from borrowing from previous works on Morocco? I don’t know. In any case, our magazine is not facetious. He himself knows my reservations about the cheap press”defends O. The behavior accused of Quentin Müller goes beyond simple legal offenses. On the ethical level, criticisms are rife. Many people denounce its lack of rigor and its obvious bias in the treatment of Moroccan subjects. By moving away from factual coverage of the earthquake to address political and social issues with no direct connection, Müller would have diverted the initial objective of his mission to Morocco. This type of slippage calls into question the validity of the information reported by this journalist, who is accused of favoring vulgar discourse to the detriment of the truth.
The Quentin Müller affair highlights the challenges posed by certain foreign journalists in Morocco, whose coverage of local events can quickly veer towards partisan interpretations, imbued with political ulterior motives. If freedom of the press is a fundamental principle, it also implies a responsibility to respect local laws and to favor objectivity. Müller’s case is a reminder that the line between objective journalism and political activism can sometimes be dangerously thin. This case illustrates the risks of media manipulation and the need for Moroccan authorities to remain vigilant in the face of foreign media interference.
