'Hands off protection of journalists' sources,' representatives warn ministers

The right to protect one’s sources was sacrosanct and should not be curtailed in any way and for no reason, the chairman of the Institute of Maltese Journalists warned ministers on Tuesday.

Karl Wright and other IGM representatives met with Education Minister Evarist Bartolo and Justice Minister Owen Bonnici to discuss the proposed Media and Defamation Act, presented by the government two weeks ago.

Wright said that the bill – on the whole – was an improvement on existing legislation, particularly through the removal of criminal libel and the introduction of mediation.

“But some issue have inevitably been raised, particularly with reference to the registration of online editors and the protection of sources,” he said.

“We therefore call on the ministers to set up a Q and A session with all willing journalists to discuss all the questions needing further clarification.”

Wright said that the issue of press accreditation needed further discussion as it would be beneficial to set in place a credible and accountabe structure which could also cover, and solve, resistance to the idea of registering online editors.

Evarist Bartolo and Owen Bonnici reiterated government's commitment to safeguarding freedom of expression

“The higher fines proposed have also generated much discussion,” he said. “And if there is one thing we insist should not be curtailed is the right of the journalist to protect his source.”

Bartolo said that the role of the media in the scrutiny of public life was crucial and the government was committed to ensure that freedom of expression and journalists’ right to protect their sources remain unaffected by the new legislation.

“The media needs to regulate itself further, possibly under a press ombudsman who would mediate confrontations before libel cases are filed in court,” he said.

Bonnici said the government felt the bill was extremely important and positive because it protected and broadened freedom of expression. 

“Some new recommendations included in the bill, such as the repeal of criminal libel, confirm this,” he said. “Other clauses were added to protect people whose reputation might be harmed by the media, thus the reason for increasing the maximum amount liable if found guilty of libel to €20,000.”

Bonnici noted that the bill introduced, for the first time, the element of slander – insulting or maligning someone verbally, as opposed to doing it through print or broadcast media.

“As to the registration of online editors, this was soleley intended to reflect what happens with print and boradcast media where each editor is officially registered,” he said. “This registration would only affect only news portals, and it would be the editors who would need to be registered, not the websites themselves.”