Culture Minister José Herrera has called for some form of state financing of printed news media, warning democracy will suffer if newspapers go out of business.

“We are passing through a rough time, which is impacting many sectors, and we must ensure the survival of the nation’s most important elements,” Herrera said in Parliament last night. “It is clear that the mainstream media  is experiencing a substantial decline in advertising because because businesses and the economy have stagnated due to COVID-19.”

The minister didn’t specify exactly what kind of financial assistance the government should provide newspapers, only calling for it to implement “the necessary financial measures to ensure the dark day when traditional newspapers cease to exist” never comes to pass.

“Newspapers must look at the signs of the times of the digital age and find out how to address new problems caused by social media, but newspapers aren’t normal businesses or hobbies but the fourth pillar of the state,” he said.

“I’m pleased to see the way journalists have advanced over the years. When I was young, we used to call them reporters, but now they’re audacious and some are also investigative.”

“Journalism and the free press are the fourth pillar of a democratic state, some newspapers have a long history and one in particular [Times of Malta] has been publishing papers for the past 100 years. It would be a shame if the day ever comes when those papers stop functioning or we’d be left with a terrible democratic deficit.”

What do you make of the minister’s suggestion?