White Paper to propose removal of criminal defamation

The president of the Institute of Maltese Journalists, Malcolm Naudi,m has announced that a White Paper reforming the Press Act in 2015 will propose the removal of criminal libel.

Naudi was addressing a 25th anniversary celebration for the IGM.

Criminal libel allows injured parties to file criminal complaints with the police on defamation, without having to pay for the institution of civil proceedings or lawyers.

During the election in 2013, dominated by libel suits and criminal defamation proceedings, Labour leader Joseph Muscat said he was in agreement that criminal libel should be discussed and reformed, and even suggested that the ban on news during the day of reflection - the day before people go to vote - be given a rethink.

"Criminal libel is one of the reforms that needs to be discussed. We must see what type of legislation can help the media to do its work, but that at the same time make sure that the media is aware of its responsibilities," Muscat said.

"The law on the day of reflection was written at a time when there existed only newspapers, television and radio. Today, these conventional means are almost becoming secondary... One surely cannot censure the Internet," Muscat added.