From Fabricated Allegations Against Algeria to the Royal Death Rumor, Rabat’s Disinformation Machine Hespress Faces a Crisis of Credibility

BY: Dr. Hana Saada

Algiers, Algeria | February 16th, 2025 —The Moroccan propaganda outlet Hespress has once again fallen into disgrace, revealing the depths of its disinformation tactics and the crumbling state of Morocco’s media landscape. After shamelessly fabricating claims about the presence of “500 Algerian fighters in Syria”—a blatant falsehood designed to tarnish Algeria’s reputation—Hespress has now found itself entangled in yet another controversy of its own making: falsely reporting the death of Morocco’s King before hastily retracting the claim in a panic-driven move that has only deepened its credibility crisis.

In what can only be described as a case of poetic justice, the very platform that thrives on misinformation is now drowning in the chaos it helped create. The so-called “news site” has been forced into a humiliating cycle of retractions and damage control after the rumor of the King’s death spread like wildfire. Instead of owning up to its failures, Hespress has scrambled to publish contradictory statements, inadvertently confirming its status as a tool of deception rather than a credible journalistic entity.

This debacle lays bare the sheer fragility of Moroccan media, which is systematically built on fabricating narratives, distorting facts, and spreading anti-Algerian propaganda. Hespress, long recognized as a mouthpiece for Rabat’s intelligence apparatus, has now cemented its reputation as a purveyor of falsehoods, incapable of upholding even the most basic journalistic integrity.

The latest developments serve as yet another testament to the erosion of truth in Morocco’s press industry. While Hespress scrambles to contain the fallout of its blunders, one undeniable fact remains: a media landscape rooted in deception is bound to collapse under the weight of its own lies.

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