IĠM holds vigil marking ninth year since Caruana Galizia’s assassination

Journalists from several Maltese newsrooms gathered at the Great Siege Monument on Friday morning for a vigil organised by the Institute of Maltese Journalists (IĠM), marking nine years since the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

The vigil was held to express solidarity with Caruana Galizia’s family and among members of the journalism profession in Malta. The Organisers said this year’s court verdict and aquittal of Yorgen Fenech, had added to the importance of journalists coming together.

Addressing those gathered, IĠM president Nicole Meilak said Caruana Galizia’s killing “was not only a brutal murder of a journalist but a direct attack on the public’s collective right to know”.

Meilak acknowledged that journalists’ work must remain open to public scrutiny, while stressing that criticism should not escalate into intimidation or threats.

“Everyone has every right to scrutinise our work and to express strong disagreement with how we practise journalism,” she said. “But when legitimate scrutiny turns into bullying, harassment and threats, we must condemn this behaviour.”

Journalists from several newsrooms gathered at the Great Siege Monument on Friday (Photo: Miguela Xuereb/Newsbook Malta)

She also stated the role of the media becomes even more essential when people start to lose trust in those very institutions that deliver justice.

Meilak encouraged media workers experiencing such abuse to contact the institute for support and added that continuing this work was the most meaningful way for journalists to honour Caruana Galizia’s legacy.

She also reminded those present that access to information had never been easier, stressing “the true value of our work lies in publishing information that someone, somewhere, would prefer to remain hidden."

Following the speeches, the IĠM executive council laid a wreath at the foot of the Great Siege Monument.

IĠM members are also expected to attend a further vigil in Bidnija at 3pm, where Caruana Galizia was murdered.