The bills were originally launched last January but have been amended following consultation with a committee of media experts that has also been tasked with proposing wider changes to the journalism industry.

The most significant one introduces “anti-SLAPP” provisions in the law to safeguard against libel sentences given to journalists by foreign courts.

Malta’s courts will be allowed to limit the execution of these sentences by ordering journalists to only pay damages equivalent to what they would have had to pay by Maltese law. They will also be empowered to refuse to recognise the court sentence altogether if they are of the opinion that it poses a danger to free speech.

These are the other amendments that have been proposed

-A new article in the Constitution will recognise the importance of the media as the fourth estate of society.

-A security committee – composed of the Permanent Security of the Home Affairs Ministry, the Police Commissioner, the head of the MSS and the AFM Commander – will be set up to respond to any risks or threats to journalists and people in public life. 

-Crimes intended to impede journalists in their functions will be considered an aggravated offence.

-Journalists sued for libel won’t have to pay court registry fees at the start of the case and will only have to pay them if they lose the case.

-If the court is of the opinion that a libel case is manifestly unfounded, the case can immediately drop.  

-If a journalist dies before the conclusion of a libel case against them and the plaintiff chooses not to immediately drop the case – as happened multiple times with Daphne Caruana Galizia – the courts won’t be exported to order their heirs to pay damages. The courts will also have the right to order an end to the libel suit.

Abela interview remains up in the air

After Attard hailed these bills as proof of the government’s recognition of the importance of the media, Lovin Malta asked him whether – in the spirit of these bills – the Prime Minister should now start accepting interviews.

It is worth noting that Abela refused to give a single interview to the independent press or accept a single debate moderated by the independent press during the 2022 election campaign.

Attard was noncommittal in this regard.

“The Prime Minister has taken action to strengthen the media in recent years. Politicians speak to the media and respond to them and I don’t see why we cannot have a situation where this relationship strengthens further. These bills are a sign of goodwill from the government’s end.”

What do you think of these three bills?