Lack Of ‘Editorial Independence’ Is Malta’s Media Landscape’s Biggest Issue, New Report Warns
The most pressing problem plaguing Malta’s media landscape is the “lack of editorial independence of a number of media outlets in Malta,” according to a recent report by the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom, which pointed fingers towards PN and PL owning and operating multimedia outlets.
Titled “Local Media for Democracy,” and penned by Louiselle Vassallo from the Department of Media and Communications at UOM, the report examined the media landscape in all 27 European Union member states, exploring its impact on both local and national democratic processes.
Despite Malta’s compact size and an already crowded media environment, where local and national media are indistinguishable, the report addressed various issues such as political manipulation of the media, the politicisation of public media, and the absence of editorial autonomy.
Malta obtained an 84% rating for editorial independence, indicating a “very high risk” according to the report.
The report detailed how both of the country’s major political parties own and operate TV and radio stations, online news media formats, and publish daily and weekly newspapers.
“This is problematic not only in terms of political control, but also because commercial entities have a strong influence on both the PL and the PN, in view of weak party financing regulations, resulting in both direct and indirect pressure on newsrooms,” the report continued.
The report also shed light on the lack of safety of local journalists which scored 60%.
In 2022, Malta had the highest number of SLAPPs per capita in Europe, with 19.93 cases per 100,000 people. These included several cases brought by ministries and state agencies against the online investigative portal, The Shift News. These cases were related to 40 Freedom of Information requests that had been denied.
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