Le Desk
 | |
Type of site | News |
|---|---|
| Available in | French, Arabic |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Headquarters | , |
| Founder(s) | Ali Amar |
| URL | ledesk |
Le Desk is an independent Moroccan digital news outlet, founded in 2015. It specializes in investigative journalism and covers political, economic, social, and cultural news. The platform is known for its editorial approach based on journalistic rigor, in-depth investigations, and critical analysis.[1]
Le Desk publishes articles in both French and Arabic, targeting a national and international readership interested in current affairs in Morocco and the wider region. Its headquarters are located in Casablanca.[2]
Since its launch, the site has established itself as a significant player in the Moroccan digital media landscape, emphasizing editorial independence and transparency of sources.[3][4]
History
[edit]Le Desk was founded in 2015 by journalists Ali Amar (formerly of the Le Journal Hebdomadaire), Christophe Guguen, and Omar Radi, along with Fatima-Zahra Lqadiri and Moroccan art dealer Aziz Aouadi.[5]
Conceived as a response to the perceived lack of editorial independence and investigative depth in Moroccan media, the platform was launched with the ambition of establishing a new model of journalism based on transparency, fact-checking, and public interest reporting. It officially went live in November 2015, marking its entry as one of the first Moroccan outlets explicitly dedicated to investigative journalism.[1][6]
In 2015, Le Desk worked with the media NGO Reporters Without Borders to create the Media Ownership Monitor, a database identifying major players in Morocco's media landscape and their interests outside the media.[7] It was the first time the Moroccan media landscape was scrutinized in this way.[7]
In 2018, it revealed that the lobbyist Richard Smotkin, who was later hired by the Moroccan government, played a role in the visit of Scott Pruitt, head of the US Environmental Protection Agency (2017-2018), to Morocco.[8]
The investigative journalist Omar Radi was working for Le Desk when he was arrested for a tweet and when Amnesty International discovered NSO Group's Pegasus spyware on his personal cellphone.[9][10][11]
Partnerships and collaborations
[edit]Le Desk maintains partnerships with several international investigative journalism networks. It is affiliated with the French investigative outlet Mediapart, and is a member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), a global network of reporters and media organizations known for cross-border investigations, including the landmark Panama Papers project.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Le Desk takes a gamble on investigative journalism in Morocco". CFI. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ "Le Desk". Media Ownership Monitor.
- ^ ""Le pluralisme est factice au Maroc, malgré un millier de sites d'information"". Le Monde (in French). 20 October 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
- ^ "Qui sommes-nous ?". Le Desk. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
- ^ "Un nouveau site d'enquêtes marocain va voir le jour: Le Desk". Telquel.ma (in French). Retrieved 24 June 2025.
- ^ "Un site d'investigation au Maroc ? Bienvenue au Desk". Le Nouvel Obs (in French). 18 September 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Pluralism is more than figures - RSF and Le Desk release Media Ownership Monitor Morocco findings | Reporters without borders". RSF. 21 November 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ Lipton, Eric; Friedman, Lisa; Vogel, Kenneth P. (1 May 2018). "A Lobbyist Helped Scott Pruitt Plan a Morocco Trip. Then Morocco Hired the Lobbyist". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ "Meet Omar Radi, the Moroccan Journalist Who Was Jailed for a Single Tweet & Faces Trial on March 5". Democracy Now!. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ "Moroccan independent journalists describe climate of pervasive surveillance, harassment". Committee to Protect Journalists. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ Kirchgaessner, Stephanie (21 June 2020). "Israeli spyware used to target Moroccan journalist, Amnesty claims". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ "Media Partners - ICIJ". International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. 12 October 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
