Labour’s Propaganda Against Manuel Delia Shows Nothing Has Been Learnt From Daphne’s Assassination
A billboard by the Labour Party recently popped up around the island last week, reading ‘Bernard il-wiċċ tal-passat’. Even though he has had no connection to the Nationalist Party since 2012, journalist Manuel Delia’s face also made an appearance on the billboard alongside various PN figures.
Although the Prime Minister has said that the billboard will be removed after backlash, it is a clear message that Malta has learned nothing almost five years on from Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination.
Whilst both the PN and PL have both put up somewhat questionable billboards, this latest piece of propaganda was one of the lowest blows yet in the electoral campaign.
This comes just months after a public inquiry linked to the assassination condemned an orchestrated plan from the government and party to dehumanise and neutralise the political impact of the murdered journalist’s reporting.
The Labour Party had used heavily photoshopped images of Daphne’s face in election campaigns over the years, with the aim of alienating, discrediting and villainising her. This contributed heavily to the mass hatred towards her which ultimately contributed to the climate of impunity in which she was assassinated.
The public inquiry was clear in its recommendations and condemnations, even finding the Maltese government indirectly responsible for Daphne’s assassination.
Malta’s government has promised reform and even set up a committee to help oversee the process. Still, the systematic harassment of journalists continues to thrive despite the damning conclusions. Rather than addressing the issues, Malta’s ruling political party is still working to discredit journalists.
The fact that this billboard was put up after the conclusions of the public inquiry continues to prove that nothing has been learned.
None of the recommendations have been implemented in the eight months since they were published. Meanwhile, journalists continue to suffer from information blackouts, with communication coordinators, including the Prime Minister’s, regularly refusing to respond to questions sent.
Journalists locked inside Castille by thugs following a press conference by disgraced former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat in November 2019
Journalists continue to be used as tools for political propaganda, with political parties using their well-oiled media machines to discredit journalists and their work. Rather than deal with revelations and scandals effectively, journalists remain subject to individual attacks. Is it because it hits too close to home?
I spent the majority of my childhood and teenage years witnessing this sort of propaganda and systematic harassment targeting Daphne and her family. I saw the buildup to and the aftermath of her assassination.
But, I’ve also seen the resilience and light that seeps through the darkness. I saw it in my aunt before she was assassinated and I’ve seen it in my family, especially my cousins, uncle, aunts and grandparents since then. I’ve also seen it in my colleagues, peers, activists and NGOs, who have fought tirelessly in the past few years.
Maybe that’s why the Labour billboard with Manuel’s face on it irked me so much. But attacks against journalists shouldn’t just be angering people who are directly affected by it or have experienced it before. We should all be angry.
We should all be calling it out. If journalists cannot carry out their work safely and efficiently, everyone’s right to know is compromised. Democracy is compromised.
What do you think should be done to protect journalists?
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