Photo: NET News

The leader of the Opposition yesterday declared in no uncertain terms that the people behind Lovin Malta are part of a “clear conspiracy” against him and in “an alliance” with the Labour government “to keep it in power”.

These claims are untrue, libellous and damaging to everyone at Lovin Malta, a young media startup which depends on its reputation as being fiercely independent and objective, especially when it comes to politics. Adrian Delia’s comments are particularly libellous to the people responsible for Lovin Malta’s political content, namely political editor Tim Diacono and founder Chris Peregin.

Contrary to Delia’s claims, Lovin Malta is independently owned, and forms part of no alliance to keep anyone in power, much less the Labour government which our journalists have scrutinised strongly and demonstrably since our inception.

Lovin Malta will not sit back and let its reputation be carelessly tarnished by the leader of the Opposition, who is ironically himself suing this same media organisation for publishing a factual report, written in good faith, that provided the public with a clear and accurate picture of the sentiment within his party.

Comments like those made by Adrian Delia cast doubt and aspersions against the free press. No wonder so many members of the public are not sure whether they trust the media anymore. How can they, when their political leaders use positions of authority to constantly harm the reputations of journalists who dare to be objective brokers of the truth?

For too long have Malta’s libel laws been used to bully the press into silence and submission, while politicians get away with using their substantial platforms to undermine the work and credibility of honest journalists.

For these reasons, Lovin Malta is requesting for this right of reply to be published/broadcast on Net News, Net FM, and il-Mument, with the same prominence as the Opposition leader’s speech. We are also kindly requesting coverage from all other media organisations who published Delia’s comments, as was their right and duty to do so, but which still helped reinforce the idea that there is a media conspiracy against Delia.

Failure to publish this right of reply and a retraction of the false claims made, may result in further actions against both Adrian Delia as well as the Nationalist Party’s media organisations.

Let this also be a demonstration of how this process should work: starting with a right of reply before exploring other available options.

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Chris Peregin

Christian is an award-winning journalist and entrepreneur who founded Lovin Malta, a new media company dedicated to creating positive impact in society. He is passionate about justice, public finances and finding ways to build a better future.