Outlet profile

Morocco World News

Moroccan pro-monarchy, English-language

Owned byPrivately owned by co-founders Samir Bennis and Adnane Bennis, brothers who launched the outlet

FundingDigital advertising, reader donations, and a Google News Initiative Innovation Challenge grant ($150K reported); no disclosed state funding

On the administrationmostly neutral

Background

Morocco World News (MWN) was founded in 2011 in New York City by brothers Adnane and Samir Bennis, who saw a gap in English-language reporting on Morocco and the broader MENA region. The outlet expanded and established offices in Rabat, Morocco, and Washington, D.C., publishing in English to reach diaspora and international audiences. Its editorial focus covers Moroccan politics, economics, culture, and migration, as well as regional and global affairs. The outlet received funding from Google's News Initiative Innovation Challenge, and sustains itself primarily through advertising and donations. Media Bias/Fact Check rates MWN as right-center biased, noting its story selection tends to favor Morocco's right-leaning monarchy; it also received a mixed factual-reporting rating after a failed fact check and what the rater characterized as promotion of state narratives. Some scholars have labeled it a 'state-affiliated source,' though no direct state ownership or funding has been publicly documented. During the Trump administration's second term (2025–present), MWN's coverage has largely framed the deepened Morocco-U.S. partnership positively—including Trump's reaffirmation of U.S. recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara—reflecting Rabat's own diplomatic interests rather than a stance on U.S. domestic politics. The outlet celebrated its 14th anniversary in 2025, describing its mission as countering what it views as reductive Western media narratives about Morocco.

Sources

Profile compiled 2026-08-09; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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