Reflecting on our 2025

The end of year is a time for reflection, not least for a media organisation like MaltaToday that strives to be an agenda-setter. 

In 2025, we did not shy away from our duty to probe and analyse news as it developed. When government decided to table in parliament two controversial planning bills on a Friday afternoon in July, we were not content with simply reporting the news. We dissected the legalese to uncover a reform process that would radically overhaul the planning process by favouring developers and restricting the avenues of objection. 

Editorially we called out Prime Minister Robert Abela for being dishonest. The planning reform he had promised was originally intended to halt works pending the resolution of appeals processes—something over which there was widespread consensus. What he delivered on that hot summer afternoon was a revamped planning system geared to appease developers and big business. 

It is good that Abela has now promised not to budge on the proposed reform until wide consensus can be reached, but we stand firm in our belief that he should withdraw the bills from parliament as a sign of goodwill. 

We were equally strong in our stand when the International Court of Arbitration delivered its final judgment in the proceedings that Steward Health Care had instituted against Malta for terminating its hospitals contract. As journalists worth our salt, we reserved our judgement until the government published the full sentence, which was five full days after Castille came out singing victory. Our caution was not misplaced because an in-depth reading of the judgment—we did actually read every page—showed that the story was slightly different from the one Castille tried to tell. 

The arbitration made it clear that the biggest loser was the Maltese nation and the government had tried to recoup €488 million from Steward but failed. The limited victory was that Malta managed to fend off Steward’s claim for €158 million, based on the secretive agreement it had reached with then Health Minister Konrad Mizzi in August 2019. 

In 2025, we took a clear stand in favour of Malta’s recognition of the Palestinian State and questioned the government’s procrastination in doing so. We called Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide and criticised the EU’s inability to suspend the association agreement with Israel. We also advocated for Malta’s withdrawal from the Eurovision next year if Israel participates. 

We were critical of the Nationalist Party’s persistent flouting of the political party financing law when it failed to publish its accounts and donation reports. This was redressed only this month, a pledge Alex Borg made when becoming PN leader in September. 

And then there were the MaltaToday surveys that have become a tradition in the political landscape for the past 20 years. The figures continued to paint a picture of an electorate that is increasingly edgy about the government but not yet convinced the Opposition is a better alternative. Borg’s leadership did shake things up—his trust rating is far better than that of his predecessors and the gap between the parties has reduced—but it’s still a bumpy road to Castille for the PN. 

Abela retains a high trust rating, even among undecided voters, which begs the question as to whether he can translate this into concrete support for his party going forward. 

In 2025, MaltaToday received its fair share of labels. We oscillated from being called anti-Labour to ‘MandraToday’; from being accused of being bought out by the government to being pro-PN. These labels bring a smile to the face of our journalists, who will continue doing their work without fear or favour; holding power to account and serving as a source of information for our readers through thoughtful analysis and in-depth reporting. We will continue down this same road unashamedly in the new year. 

To all those people and sources who have trusted us with their stories and comments, we thank you for helping us tell your story to the rest of the country. Your continued trust is invaluable to our work. To all our readers, we wish you a happy New Year and invite you to continue supporting us, even if you may not agree with all we say and do.