This French-language work, published by MAP, is a biography of journalists who have marked the national media landscape, contributing to "a sociological study" and "a structured typology" of men and women of the Moroccan press.

The essence of this work is rooted in the proposal made by the MAP Director General, Khalil Hachimi Idrissi, who also infused an "authentic approach" adopted during the making of this yearbook, said Ajbali during his speech at the presentation of the book.

He noted that the first edition of the book, which includes 230 portraits of Moroccan journalists, has been hailed with "positive feedback".

Ajbali, who recalled the absence of some names in the first version of the book, noted that the second edition now includes "40 more media names", which brings the number of biographies to 270 journalists, including 51 women.

All these portraits have been treated "on an equal footing" both in terms of text (a page and a half for each portrait) and photos published, assured the author of the book.

During the making of this book, Ajbali said he was faced with two obstacles, namely the difficulty of writing about a journalist, whom he sees as the person "who writes about everything while nobody writes about him," and the scarcity of academic writing on press in Morocco.

In this book, the author lists the milestones of the Moroccan written press and its specificities since the independence, noting that these portraits mentioned in the book allow to learn about these stages and the various issues related to them, including "partisan" or "official" press and "linguistic dualism", among many other issues.

The author was pleased with the publication of this book based on a "new approach" and "probably the first of its kind in the Arab world and Africa," considering his work as "a tribute to soldiers who were in the service of their country."

This event was held in the presence of prominent personalities, including the National Council for Human Rights (CNDH) former president and ambassador-at-large for human rights issues, Ahmed Herzenni, the diplomat and journalist Hassan Abdelkhalek and the president of the Association Ribat Al Fath, Abdelkrim Bennani.

It was also marked by testimonies praising, in their majority, the work and the author's approach. In this sense, the writer and journalist Seddik Maaninou welcomed the publication of this book by MAP, commending in particular the introduction of the book that represents a "precise tracing of Moroccan press," and the approach adopted in the presentation of portraits of journalists, focused on fairness and equality.

In his turn, the journalist, publisher and distributor Mohamed Abderrahmane Berrada hailed this work, congratulating Mr. Ajbali who, according to him, has managed to meet an "unprecedented" and "great" challenge. "I do not hide that the book has allowed me, me who spent over 40 years in the world of media, to discover a great number of things. This book is an unprecedented document thanks to its content and accuracy."

Berrada said he was grateful to the author of this book that "makes us want to rediscover ourselves." "It is an extraordinary work, I thank you," he said.

For her part, the professor of sociology Khadija El Gour focused on "the new approach" adopted by the author, which she considers rare in other areas of research, congratulating Mr. Ajbali for this "feat that traces the history of the Moroccan press through readings in the careers of media figures who have marked the journalistic action in Morocco.

She said, moreover, that the added value of this publication lies in the fact that it is an "initiative for future generations to discover the pioneers of Morocco in the fields of press, journalism and politics." This is a "commendable initiative to remind future generations of our media and cultural history," she said.

For his part, MAP Director General, Khalil Hachimi Idrissi, said that this book is not a simple collection of bibliographic records of Moroccan journalists, but rather portraits and articles written with great subjectivity.

Mr. Hachimi Idrissi also focused on the issue of linguistic duality in the Moroccan press, which was mentioned by the author, considering that the French language is a working tool but does not affect "our identity and our attachment to our country."

On the other hand, he pointed out the major changes that the world of media and journalism is now experiencing, especially due to a "digital tsunami", believing that if print media is dying, the journalist will not die, since it is he who provides reliable information, helping the reader understand and presenting complete information.

"Figures de la presse marocaine", whose Arabic version will be published soon, is a biographical yearbook of journalists from print media, television, radio and MAP, which is intended to be a real reading in the history of Morocco through the experiences of all these men and women of the Moroccan press.

It is also a substantive work that fits perfectly with the new missions of MAP, those of accompanying the media sector through knowledge and research, said Hachimi Idrissi, who prefaced the book.