Shifting Power Dynamics: Media Capture and Platform Dominance in Journalism

This study utilizes the concept of “media capture” as a theoretical framework to explore the political and economic control exerted over the media landscape in Morocco. It expands the analysis to include emerging forms of media capture, particularly with the rise of digital platforms and the influence of global tech giants like Google and Meta. These new dimensions of capture transcend traditional notions of media control based solely on economic and political factors and venture into what Nechushtai describes as “infrastructural capture.” News organizations have become dependent on and therefore captured by these platforms for their operations, through the provision of tools for news production, audience analytics, and marketing insights, as much as they are dependent on funding sources and regulatory bodies. To examine the impact of infrastructural capture on Morocco’s media, we conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 15 prominent media practitioners. The findings indicate that in a media landscape that is already burdened by substantial political and economic constraints, infrastructural capture worsens the fragility of media business models and significantly impacts the quality of news content.