The Moroccan digital media’s representation of the Moroccan woman: A multimodal analysis to Hespress discourse

Abstract

Abstract Of the many influences on how Moroccan people perceive the Moroccan woman, Moroccan digital media is presumably the most powerful tool used throughout; in fact, Moroccan digital media direct the public opinion, frame specific images, and perpetuate both realistic and unrealistic speculations about the Moroccan woman, whose voice is carefully selected and whose presence goes sometimes reported and at other times unreported. This article is a deep reflection of the overall images chosen to manufacture consensus about the Moroccan woman in the Moroccan digital media; more specifically, emphasis is going to be laid on how Hespress, as an emerging Moroccan news outlet, advertises different conceptions and representations about the Moroccan woman at home and overseas. The article is predicated on the notion of framing news stories, which propel journalists to decide on what is newsworthy and what is not. The researcher’s pivotal argument is that a process of selection is obviously developed by Hespress in its dealing with and detailing on the question of the Moroccan woman. Put otherwise, a large space is arguably accorded to certain women who have outperformed their peers in many vital sectors of life and led successful stories nationwide. As for those women, whose stories do not correlate with the policy and the editorial line of Hespress, they are devoiced and still marginalized. To address this topic more effectively, the researcher suggests utilizing a multimodal analysis to the discourse of Hespress about the Moroccan woman. A preliminary examination of the literature documenting the media’s discourse about her will be considered. Then, an elaboration of the methodology adopted will be explored. Finally, some pedagogical recommendations will be advanced in this article to enable students promote critical reading and hone not only their analytical but also their interpretative skills as concerns Hespress discourse on the Moroccan woman.