Media Accountability in Morocco’s Digital Sphere: The Empowerment Paradox of Citizen Engagement and Media Resistance

Abstract

This article investigates the shifting landscape of media accountability (MA) within Morocco’s hybrid political regime, where traditional state influence over information flows meets a vibrant, volatile digital public sphere. Drawing on the "Hybrid Accountability Model" developed in recent scholarship, the study explores the role of social media as an informal yet potent instrument for holding media institutions answerable to the public. Employing a pragmatist mixed-methods design, the research integrates quantitative survey data from a sample of 205 Moroccan social media .with a qualitative analysis of high-profile 'accountability episodes,' including the 'Mchiti Fiha' viewership controversy and the Aboukhlal defamation case. The study identifies a profound "Empowerment Paradox": while Moroccan citizens report a relatively high sense of subjective empowerment through digital platforms ( ), their actual engagement in accountability-directed behaviors remains notably low ( ). This discrepancy suggests a state of 'latent empowerment' where digital agency is psychologically felt but structurally inhibited. Statistical analysis via One-Way ANOVA further reveals that higher levels of engagement do not lead to perceived success; rather, the most active users report a significantly higher perception of media resistance and institutional unresponsiveness. This suggests that while digital tools have democratized the expression of grievance, the rectification of media behavior remains obstructed by systemic inertia and the dominance of market-driven logics. By contextualizing these findings through the "Viewership Paradox," this article argues for a "de-Westernized" understanding of media accountability—one where the efficacy of public pressure is contingent upon its convergence with formal institutional power.