Malta slides down RSF press freedom rankings to 81

Another year, another four places down in the international press freedom index for Malta, as Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked the country at 81 in the 2020 World Press Freedom Index.

Malta had already slid 12 places in 2019, with the organisation that year flagging abusive judicial proceedings “designed to gag investigative reporters by draining their financial resources.” It now lags behind the likes of Mongolia, Tunisia and Panama in the rankings.

RSF noted the change in government at the start of the year and the weeks of mass protests, sparked by numerous revelations linking the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia to the head of government leadership, which preceded it.

“The public inquiry into the journalist’s death and wider circumstances, which the Maltese government finally launched two years after her death and only following pressure from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, among others, is revealing a picture of political interference - intended to disrupt investigations and shift blame away from those at the helm of government.”

RSF also pointed to a January court ruling which found the right to freedom of expression was being systematically violated by the constant clearing of a makeshift memorial to Caruana Galizia.

“The constant clearing of the memorial, over almost two years on orders of the Justice Minister, was made with the ‘thought and specific intention’ to create division while hindering protest and burying calls for justice.”

Highlighting the fact that challenges faced by journalists in view of the weak rule of law in Malta had been documented in reports by major European bodies, including the European Parliament and the Council of Europe, RSF noted that Maltese journalists from six independent media houses had told a delegation of MEPs from the European Parliament Civil Liberties Committee that they feared for their safety and operated in a culture of intimidation and threats. 

“Media threats during the past year continued, with several documented instances of denial of access to information or press events, toxic rhetoric by government officials, failure to recognise non-State issued press cards, as well as unlawful detention of press members (including international press) following a press conference in late 2019.” 

There were also documented press freedom challenges in Malta, said the organisation, “including government officials directly targeting and attempting to discredit journalists covering government corruption.” 

The fact that media ownership remained dominated by the two main political parties in the country was also a factor leading to propaganda and disinformation, it said.