Opinion: Giorgio Mitrovich Fought For Press Freedom—Is His Grave A Reflection Of Ours?
Last Friday, Malta had its first-ever media literacy forum, held in Parliament, organised by the Nationalist Party. Researcher and senior lecturer Rosemarie Calleja gave a statement on Giorgio Mitrovich, a 19th-century Maltese patriot who fought for press freedom for Malta.
Now tucked away at the Addolorata Cemetery his grave is mottled with lichen and forgotten, the tomb of a man who once challenged press censorship now is abandoned.
Mitrovich’s efforts in the 1830s led to the abolition of press censorship in 1839, a monumental victory for the island. His relentless campaigning in London, despite personal sacrifices and financial ruin, ensured that the Maltese could finally enjoy a free press.
Yet, the state of his neglected grave is a haunting metaphor for how quickly we forget the freedoms that were so bitterly fought for.
Fast-forward to the present day, and the brutal assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017 is another grim reminder of the peril press freedom Malta still faces.
Seven years have passed, yet justice for her murder has been slow.
While Mitrovich fought to end the censorship of the press, Caruana Galizia faced violence for using that freedom to hold the powerful accountable.
The fact that Mitrovich’s grave is in a state of neglect is not just a matter of historical oversight; it reflects a broader societal complacency.
If the man who championed the abolition of press censorship can be so easily forgotten, what does that say about our current attitudes towards freedom of expression?
Have we become too comfortable, too disengaged, to remember that these freedoms are never guaranteed?
At face value, Malta enjoys a degree of press freedom that many countries lack. There are no official state censors or overt government restrictions on what can be published. However, the reality is far more complicated.
Press freedom in Malta is more limited than it seems, bound not by explicit censorship but by subtler, more insidious forces: political influence, self-censorship, intimidation, vexatious lawsuits and the omnipresent shadow of corruption.
Journalists may not be imprisoned for their work, but they face obstacles that undermine their ability to report freely.
In a country where a journalist was killed for doing her job, and where political influence still seeps into the media. Freedom of the press is not guaranteed—it’s something we must actively protect, just as Mitrovich once did.
Should Giorgio Mitrovich’s grave be restored?
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