It might be said without fear of exaggeration that the appetite for Moroccan news among non-Moroccans in the United States is limited. This may explain why the number of English-language publications conveying news of the Maghreb is few. Certainly there are some top notch blogs, such as Maryam Montague's My Marrakesh and Sandy McCutcheon's View from Fez. Laila Lalami offers frequent and cogent stateside critiques. And there is the Morocco News Board as well. However, recently I find that my regular news and opinion from Morocco comes from Morocco World News.
Partly this is because the stories are readily available in my Facebook feed. Clearly, that is only part of the reason, however, because mere availability does not explain why I find myself stopping to read them more and more lately. Typically the headlines are provocative and the stories, which tend heavily toward opinion pieces, are thoughtful and generally well-written. I frequently find myself engaged even when I disagree, which is often. Given the frequency with which I disagree even with my own countrymen, this is perhaps not surprising.
So for those to whom Casablanca means more than Rick's Cafe, who miss the savor of atay be naa naa and the succulence of mechoui, the pungency of zait el bldi and the beauty of the Atlas, the starkness of the desert and the warmth of the hammam, the labyrinth of Fes and the crowds at Jmaa el Fna, couscous and the call to prayer, and most of all the unforced warmth and generosity of the Moroccan people, Morocco World News is a little reminder of home away from home.