Every year we ask the Times of Malta team to choose one story that impacted them and to share their behind-the-scenes experience with readers. 

Here are their choices for 2024:

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MARK LAURENCE ZAMMIT: 'The people who love Joseph'

I felt anxious the day Joseph Muscat was charged in court with corruption in connection with the hospitals case.

Days earlier, when it became evident that he would be arraigned, I had tried to get the views of Labour supporters on camera. I had to cut it short as I wasn’t feeling safe.  

PL supporters are usually very warm and welcoming but this time the atmosphere felt different.

So, I was nervous on the day of the arraignment, especially as each journalist was assigned a personal security officer for protection. 

Throngs of the former prime minister’s supporters gathered outside court, and many spoke on camera, arguing Muscat was one of the greatest people in history. 

But there were others who would only speak off camera, including one man whose comments stayed with me.

He said: “Not all of us here believe Joseph is innocent. This is not about innocence. It’s about love. I’m here not because I think he’s innocent, but because I love him. And when you love someone, no matter whether you think they’re guilty or not, you support them. Think of it this way – if your son is caught doing drugs and is taken to court, you would come here to support him, not because you think he’s innocent, but because you love him.”

Whether or not that man is justified is an entirely different conversation but his comments gave an insight into the thinking of some Labour voters that day.

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Photographer Matthew Mirabelli: 'It was unforgettable'

This image of Joseph Muscat walking into court, surrounded by hundreds of his supporters, was my most memorable photograph of the year. 

Although it was not necessarily my favourite photo, the build-up to that moment, and the story surrounding it, was unforgettable. 

I have captured many people entering court to be charged but had never experienced anything like that day before.

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Jacob Borg: The Steward Files  

From smear campaigns targeting a Health Minister to millions flowing to a Swiss company linked to ex-prime minister Joseph Muscat, the Steward Files gave new insights into an (allegedly) corrupt hospitals privatisation deal.  

The trove of nearly 300,000 internal documents helped uncover how former hospitals concessionaries Steward Health Care funded a campaign to smear then Health Minister Chris Fearne with “fake” corruption claims. 

They also revealed secret plans for a Swiss firm linked to Muscat to be given a 30% share on profits generated from the Malta hospitals deal.  

Investigations into Steward’s internal e-mails and contracts further exposed how a political ‘slush fund’ was directly linked to negotiations with Muscat’s government to hand over more cash to the health care provider.  

I was lucky enough to work on the investigation with The Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and the Boston Globe’s famed Spotlight team.  

When OCCRP first told me about the leak in early 2024, I was worried many of the potential leads in the data would be superseded by the findings of a four-year inquiry into the deal.

But the data has proven to be a rich hunting ground.  

It has contained many concealed documents and e-mails only hinted at in the inquiry and not forming part of the prosecution’s case against Muscat and his associates.   

Hopefully the Police Commissioner and Attorney General read Times of Malta! 

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James Cummings: Protect and serve? 

Earlier this year, I came across a Sliema resident asking for advice online. 

He said he was stuck in an overcrowded and cockroach-infested house with complaints made to the landlord being ignored.  

I stayed in touch with the aggrieved tenant for a couple of weeks, asking him to document the situation inside the house and provide details about his contract and landlord. 

He wasn't exaggerating in his online post; video footage showed cupboards infested with hundreds of cockroaches and up to six beds in one bedroom alone.  

Meanwhile, around 16 migrants were paying €250 per month to stay there – almost three times the limit allowed by regulations.   

So far, so usual; unfortunately, this was not the first such case I had reported on. 

But then, the twist.

When I visited the property to see the situation for myself, I was greeted by the 22-year-old landlord at the door. 

He admitted the overcrowding was “not fair” and said he would soon move the tenants – his “friends” – to “luxurious” alternative accommodation. 

Then he dropped a bombshell; he was a policeman. I wasn't expecting that.

When the story was published, there was anger at someone tasked with upholding the law being involved in such a predatory business in flagrant breach of regulations.  

It turned out the police force had been looking into him too, with Times of Malta’s investigation merely hastening proceedings, according to the police commissioner. 

Perhaps there need to be more safeguards in place, or maybe this policeman – who has since resigned – just slipped through an already tight net; either way, such incidents undermine trust in authorities. 

Because if you can’t trust the police, who can you trust? 

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Neville Borg: The ‘cat butcher of Gozo’ 

The rumour appeared fully-formed, as though it was straight out of a David Cronenberg film. Some monster was butchering sick pets, grinding them up and selling them as sausage meat. 

The rumour brought to mind similar old wives’ tales from my childhood. Back then we often heard whispers that the rabbits sold during Mnarja festivities were stray cats found roaming in Buskett. 

Only this time the alleged culprit had a name and a face, a village butcher in Gozo. 

The Facebook post that first made the claim spread like wildfire. And with each passing minute, the story grew – people fell sick, others were hospitalized, inspectors had found a warehouse full of dead cats. 

Within the hour, the butcher was a pariah. 

Each call I made to verify the story was greeted by a series of increasingly baffled public officials. 

“I’ve heard the rumour,” they’d invariably say, “but I have no idea where it’s coming from”. 

The story began to morph by the afternoon as plot holes emerged.  

The village butcher in question, it turned out, had been shuttered for years, and what initially appeared to be first-hand information turned out to be anything but. 

I managed to get hold of a phone number belonging to a member of the butcher’s family. When the yelling eventually subsided, I explained that I wasn’t out for a pound of flesh. By the end of the call I was being invited over for dinner next time I was in Gozo. I politely declined.  

Inspections by health officials drew a blank, hospital wards remained free of poisoned victims, and we all went back to feasting on our grilled sausages without a care in the world. 

But in a year full of high-stakes political drama, the story that most resonated with me was this cautionary tale of how misinformation can spread across an entire country in the blink of an eye. 

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Video editor Karl Andrew Micallef:  A night with the rangers

 

Karl Andrew Micallef

In our line of work we deal with characters that are on the extreme end of the spectrum – It is the most violent, most corrupt, most unfortunate that often end up making headlines, giving the impression that the world is full of doom and gloom.

Fortunately, there are characters on the other end as well. Individuals who are impressively well-meaning, driven by ideals far larger than their personal interests, who quietly fight for the good of everyone else.  

The night James Cummings and I met with the Malta Rangers Unit was cold and windy and I didn’t feel like going out. But that is a feeling which Cami and her team do not allow themselves.

Rain or shine they are out looking for people breaking environmental rules, whether it’s illegal hunting or a bonfire too close to a tree. They don’t do this for money or recognition, but to protect the little natural environment that is left.  

 In an ideal world, the rangers would stay home like the rest of us – but in the real world, the fact that they don’t, makes them real superheroes. I’m glad we got to tell their story. 

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Claudia Calleja: Interviewing a friend

This year, one story had a deeper, more personal impact than usual. This time, I was talking to a friend and former colleague about the cruel loss of his young, beautiful wife Emanda to melanoma. 

Paul Spiteri Lucas, or Pawlu, as I know him, previously worked at Times of Malta as a cameraman and we would do interviews together.  

Now, here I was, sitting in his living room surrounded by family photos and memories as he told me the painful story he had lived with his young son, Sam, who is similar in age to my daughter.  

I was in awe of Paul’s strength – and his desire to share his story to create awareness for people to protect themselves and their children from the sun and to check any skin irregularities immediately.

Paul said he did not want others to go through what he and his son had endured.

When he spoke about the moment he and his son went to say goodbye to the wife and mother, we cried together.

Paul’s story is among those true, honest stories I have the privilege to be trusted with, and that carve out a space in my heart and mind. 

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Photographer Jonathan Borg: Neil Agius' epic swim

It was late September, and Neil Agius was attempting a world record swim. I knew he could return to shore at some point, but we had no idea when or where. It all depended on so many factors: the wind, the waves, Neil’s energy levels.  

Then, at around 8pm, we got a call. ‘Get to Għar Lapsi, Neil will be coming in’.  

I rushed there, and a crowd had already gathered. There were friends, family, supporters and many others like me, hoping to get a shot of him reaching the shore. 

I remember standing on the rocks. It was almost pitch dark, and I knew getting a photo was going to be a challenge. I cranked my ISO up to 5,000 and relied on the little illumination there was. In the end, it worked out well and I captured Neil as he climbed the ladder to shore.  

Neil could barely climb the rungs. He was exhausted, and you can see that on his face.  

His team members quickly wrapped him up to get him warm and then he was taken to a nearby ambulance for a medical check.  

I had already photographed Neil in similar circumstances in 2021, when he swam from Linosa to Gozo. That was at night too, though given it was at Xlendi there was more light to work with, and room to manoeuvre.  

Neil is such an inspiring figure, what he does is incredible. Assignments like these are ones I will always remember. 

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Emma Borg: The unhoused faces of my hometown

As someone who has lived on the outskirts of Paceville on-and-off for over 20 years, writing about the growing number of unhoused people in the area felt like a story long overdue. 

It was more than just a journalistic piece. It was a reflection of what my hometown had become. Paceville remains simultaneously a party area as well as a transient town where the lives of its most vulnerable are increasingly neglected. 

What was once a vibrant community is now a precarious place, with unhoused individuals settling in visible yet forgotten corners – along the centre strips, in abandoned buildings  and even in skips.

Meanwhile, the area’s elderly residents, many of whom have lived on the same streets for decades, continue to dwindle. Their beautiful seaside homes, now empty and neglected, are often sold off, repurposed as ‘boutique hotels’ or, in darker cases, turned into stash houses.

Gentrification, coupled with the rise in homelessness, has transformed Paceville into something of a wasteland – often devoid of kindness, driven instead by drugs, alcohol and commercial interests. 

Yet there remains a beacon of hope: the Millennium Chapel. Run by the remarkable Fr Hillary and his dedicated team, the chapel has become a vital sanctuary for the town’s unhoused population. Their work – offering tea, conversation and a safe space – embodies the true spirit of community. 

Following the publication of my story, the chapel received a significant number of donations, proving how journalism can be a force for good. 

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Giulia Magri: A hero who was ‘just doing his job’

Marcus Kitching-Howe is one of those people who go out of their way to help others and it was a privilege to tell his story this year.

The experienced PADI course diver and emergency first response trainer, helped save a group of divers in distress back in March, a diving incident that left one dead.  

I remember turning up at Ċirkewwa on the day of the accident. As the wind howled and the waves battered the bay, medics and police attended to a handful of divers.  

I managed to briefly speak to one diver for more details. At the time, I was unaware it was Kitching-Howe and he didn’t elaborate on the role he played in the rescue.  

It was only a day later, when another diver reached out to me that I understood what a crucial part he played.  

Speaking to the 31-year-old on the phone, what struck me was how calmly he recounted the events. He described grabbing a 12-metre rope line, tying a part of it to the handrail and jumping into the raging sea to take the other end to the divers to grab hold of it. Because of his quick actions, 10 divers managed to exit the water by using the line.

He recalled how he helped two other divers and how he tried to initiate rescue breaths on one.

“I was doing the thing I’ve been trained to do and I made sure to not let my emotions take over,” he said. 

I was glad to be able to highlight the story of a person who did something, not for glory or recognition, but simply because it’s the right thing to do. 

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Daniel Ellul: Catching up with Clayton

Photographer Matthew Mirabelli and I returned to the newsroom drenched. It was the day after the publication of a Standards Commissioner report that found ministers Clayton Bartolo and Clint Camilleri had abused their power when Bartolo’s now-wife, Amanda Muscat, was employed in a job she was not qualified for and did not do.

We had just come back from Gozo, having sought out Camilleri to ask him if he would resign over the scandal.

Camilleri remained defiant, insisting he did nothing wrong when hiring Muscat as a €68,000-a-year consultant.

The heavens opened as we returned on our motorbikes but no sooner was I in the newsroom than I was back out again, trying to track down Bartolo.  

He had cancelled a public engagement and getting him to answer any questions on camera seemed unlikely. But scrolling through his Facebook page, we learned Bartolo was scheduled to meet constituents in his Mellieħa office soon.

We immediately got back on our bikes to Mellieħa, hoping to get him on camera. Soon enough, a gilet-clad Bartolo turned up and he appeared surprised to see me.  

“I see you looked up my Facebook page,” he quipped before we could ask any questions.

He then went on to say that an “apology” he made on social media was enough and there was no need for him to step aside.

“I am not hard-headed or arrogant, even though some try to depict me that way. I apologised and I am sorry if I fell short in that way (ethically). But those asking for my resignation are doing so over legal issues,” he said.  

Despite his insistence, within days, Robert Abela would force him to resign after he and his wife became involved in a new scandal. 

Edwina Brincat: An extradition saga

It was a busy day in court with back-to-back arraignments until late afternoon. 

“There’s one more. Rather unusual,” I told my editors around 4pm.

A pale, haggard young man in a canvas jacket had just been escorted into hall 14.  An anxious couple, apparently his parents, sat close behind him.

As the prosecutors exhibited documents, I gathered snippets of information: an extradition request from the US authorities, authorisation by a minister, a magisterial arrest warrant. Then the youth gave his personal details according to normal procedure. 

“Is he consenting to extradition?” asked the magistrate.

After some lawyer-client consultation, the youth replied in the affirmative. But there were no other details.

The pieces of the puzzle fell into place the next morning. The police announced the extradition of a Maltese man to the US to face charges for selling malware on the dark web. They did not name the person.

I knew it was the youth from the previous evening’s arraignment: Daniel Joe Meli and we were able to give details about the arraignment.  

I have followed Meli’s story ever since. His parents’ perseverance prompted a legal amendment allowing him to reverse his consent to the extradition.

His new lawyers insist that he should be tried in Malta. His fate is not yet sealed. 

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Fiona Galea Debono: Meeting a young, cloistered nun

I was surprised when I got immediate access to Malta’s only cloistered postulant nun.

Having no contact with the outside world meant I needed consent to enter St Margaret’s Monastery in Cospicua and interview Roberta Huber. 

But I was even more surprised when I met the 36-year-old. She was completely different from what I had expected.  

Huber was beaming and bubbly, giggly and blunt; and although I could not fathom a life locked up, her enthusiasm, passion and sense of fulfilment were palpable as she spoke about her vocation from behind the bars of the Teresian community.

Malta’s only prospective nun was originally “disgusted” at the thought of their traditional cloistered existence when she felt a calling to a religious life in her early 20s.

She had been praying for a boyfriend, but now, behind a metal grille and knowing she will never see the sea again, she said she felt “really free”.

Another important aspect of this interview is how one story led to another. It all started when I wrote about an Mdina convent that was turned into a museum; then it went on to an interview with the only surviving Benedictine nun in that huge convent.

That led to a story about the situation in Malta’s five cloistered communities and how vocations were on a deep decline; and through these contacts, I discovered Malta’s one and only new nun.

Marc Galdes: A planning u-turn 

I had only been working with Times of Malta for four days when I was assigned to cover the Fort Chambray development. 

The evening before the planning commission meeting, I was rushing to catch up to speed with this 30-year-long saga. It had been well over a year since I covered a commission meeting, and this was definitely the most complicated one I had to follow. 

Following a grueling three hour long sitting, I felt a huge sense of relief when publishing that story. This did not last long, however, as I was bombarded by messages from different people who were furiously voicing their suspicions regarding the vote. 

I was later notified of an article the Għajnsielem mayor Kevin Cauchi wrote back in 2008, condemning the demolition of the barracks, which added to my confusion. Nonetheless, I felt it was worth a story, so I contacted him and wrote up about this U-turn. 

The decade long saga around Fort Chambray is not over, with an appeal underway and more stories to come, I’m eager to continue trying to make sense of this development 

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Photographer Chris Sant Fournier:  Postcard from Paceville 

I like this picture because it encapsulates what Malta is and what it will be in the near future.

You have a crowded October beach with a mega project crowded by cranes in the background, promising further crowding in future. 

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Sarah Carabott: 13 years, then told to leave

When I received the call about Kusi Dismark’s sudden arrest mid-haircut on a quiet Sunday morning, I knew it would end like every other story of a person who has been denied asylum but is allowed to study, work, open a business, and pay taxes and NI contributions for over a decade. 

But I also knew that his story deserved to be told. 

Kusi’s phone had been confiscated, and I was not allowed to visit him at the detention centre.  

I sent word among my sources that I wanted to speak to him, so at a given time on a given day, he waited by a landline phone for my call.  

In the meantime, I spoke to his Maltese clients, landlords and friends who had been shocked by the arrest of an exemplary 37-year-old barber who had rebuilt his life in Malta in the past 13 years.  

The story was picked up by other media, politicians and activists. A protest was held demanding his release and the regularisation of other people in a similar situation.   

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Matthew Bonanno: Too many biker deaths 

I only joined Times of Malta a few weeks ago so don’t have many stories to choose from, but speaking to bikers following the tragic death of Dieter Vink after he crashed his bike into a skip on St Paul’s Bay bypass definitely stands out.  

I was moved by the words of Tony Galea, the president of motorcycle advocacy group 2 Wheels Malta, who said he was “tired of going to funerals.” 

The spate of serious traffic accidents that has characterised the end of the year – it’s felt like there has been one almost every day since I joined – has highlighted the urgent need for a road safety bureau to be set up. The bureau would investigate accidents and identify any shortcomings, issues and patterns to amend road safety policy. 

The bureau was meant to be up and running by December 2023. The delay is reportedly due to the courts being reluctant to share information. But getting any concrete information from the government about the bureau, like who is heading it and when it’s expected to start functioning, has proven a challenge.