Journalists’ institute says government must address issues undermining media on Press Freedom Day

The Institute of Maltese Journalists has urged the Maltese government to create an environment where journalists and media actors can carry out their duties without hindrance

The IĠM is calling for action to address weak laws, financial difficulties faced by media outlets, and a shift in mentality towards transparency on World Press Freedom Day
The IĠM is calling for action to address weak laws, financial difficulties faced by media outlets, and a shift in mentality towards transparency on World Press Freedom Day

On World Press Freedom Day, the Institute of Maltese Journalists (IĠM) has called on the government to create a tangible environment where journalists and media actors can carry out their duty to serve democracy.

The IĠM noted recent statements by Prime Minister Robert Abela that the media is the fourth pillar of democracy, as acknowledged in the Labour Party's electoral manifesto, but expects the government to recognise it as such with facts.

"In the light of such statements, it is indeed baffling how the government continues to push back on a recommendation by its own committee of experts to entrench the media in the enforceable parts of the country’s constitution," the IĠM said in a statement.

The IĠM also calls on the government to address other issues seriously undermining the media in Malta, including the weak Freedom of Information Act, financial difficulties faced by media outlets, and a shift in mentality where information is given rather than kept under wraps.

The financial difficulties being faced by media outlets are also a concern for the IĠM. It is looking at models used abroad and will be making its recommendations to the government in this regard.

The IĠM is set to become the first-ever journalists' trade union in Malta, giving it and its members a strong legal standing.

“It is in these trying times that journalists must stand united. It is together, along with civil society and democracy campaigners, that changes, however small they are, can be achieved,” the statement reads.

In 2022, Malta’s score in the World Press Freedom Index fell by eight points because journalists operate in polarised environment under the strong influence of political parties.

The study referenced the public inquiry into the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia which listed a set of reforms that “the government has been reluctant to implement”.

On safety, the study observed that none of the suspects arrested for Caruana Galizia have been tried and convicted despite the public inquiry recognising that the “the state has to shoulder responsibility for the assassination because it created an atmosphere of impunity”.

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