Malta and Poland stood out in an EU-wide study as the countries where newsrooms' editorial independence from political and commercial influences is most in jeopardy.
Specifically, Malta represents a clear-cut example of a party-media system, the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom noted in its report Uncovering news deserts in Europe.
The research detects challenges and opportunities for local and community media in the 27 EU states, ranking each country’s risk for the local media market conditions, journalists’ safety and working conditions, outlets’ editorial independence and social inclusiveness.
Louiselle Vassallo from the Faculty of Media and Knowledge Sciences penned the report for Malta.
She noted that the most serious issue for the island was the lack of editorial independence of several media outlets in Malta. For this category, Malta scored a very high risk of 84% following Poland at 88%.
The ownership and operation of TV and radio stations, online news media and newspapers was “problematic not only in terms of political control but also because commercial entities have a strong influence on both the PL and the PN, given weak party financing regulations, resulting in both direct and indirect pressure on newsrooms”, she said.
Vassallo added that the government and its entities were a primary source of advertising income for all media outlets and this was an added risk to editorial independence.
“The state can use this as leverage to pressure newsrooms to report sympathetically on government affairs. Moreover, concerns are also detected when it comes to state subsidies, both in terms of fairness and transparency.”
Malta meanwhile scored medium risk (60%) for the safety of journalists.
Referring to a 2023 analysis by the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe, Vassallo says that in 2022, Malta had the highest number of SLAPPs per capita in Europe, with 19.93 cases per 100,000 people.
Strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP) are intended to chill free speech by burdening journalists and media houses with expensive legal cases, often filed in foreign jurisdictions.
Vassallo separately referred to a report by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom which had noted that harassment of journalists and media entities included a large-scale disinformation campaign targeting six independent media outlets and a news blogger through the creation of spoof websites and the sending of fake emails to newsrooms, with the primary objective of spreading false facts
There were also DDoS attacks from unknown actors, legal threats by members of the business community and consistent denials of Freedom of Information requests made by newsrooms to the state and its entities.
Minorities largely invisible and under represented
Malta similarly scored medium risk (57%) for social inclusiveness, with the author noting that while minorities exist in Malta, they are largely invisible or under-represented in the local media landscape.
“The Public Service Media broadcasts mainly in Maltese, with one short, daily news bulletin and the odd programme, possibly imported, in English, which is not a minority language, but the second official language in Malta."
Vassallo said the only languages used within the Maltese media landscape are Maltese and English, except for some content in French and Arabic on the African Media Association site, even if this is limited and not updated regularly.
She said Malta seemed to rely on the fact that all non-Maltese residents speak and understand English, and when it comes to broadcast formats, practically every station broadcast mainly in Maltese, while English tended to be more dominant in print and online media.
“Furthermore, there is no obligation for PSM to represent minorities, specifically, in a fair and adequately representational manner and, according to the Broadcasting Authority, when it comes to the portrayal of minorities in broadcasting, there is no policy in place, except for general provisions of balanced, fair and impartial representation.
“Moreover, when minorities are represented, it is generally about irregular migration arrivals or deportations, or news that concerns accidents and crime. There are no outlets or channels specifically addressing marginalised groups in Malta.”