Malta Press Club stresses press self-regulation

A submission presented by The Malta Press Club (TMPC) to the select committee of the British House of Commons has been included in a select committee report about privacy and media intrusion.

The submission about the Maltese experience of self-regulation of the media was made by TMPC international and legal affairs secretary Joe Mifsud in London.

The select committee on culture, media and sport of the House of Commons was investigating, among others, whether the system of media self-regulation adopted in the UK through the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) was adequate.

There had been various calls for a media privacy law to be introduced in Britain and do away with the PCC, but the final report as well as the British government accepted that self-regulation by the media was the best solution.

The TMPC submission explained that "the Maltese code of ethics states that 'freedom of the media is one of the foundations of a modern, democratic society. It incorporates the right of freedom of speech, the right to freely disseminate information and the right to receive this same information'.

"However, we recognise that 'these rights are not unlimited' because the public too have their own rights. We believe, therefore, that 'it is desirable that the media, aware of its responsibilities and obligations towards the rest of society, regulates itself through a self-disciplinary system'.

"To end we would reiterate our absolute belief in the ideal of press self-regulation and in its practical operation.

"The PCC in the UK is one of the most important and successful models of such regulation in practice and we have been delighted to be involved with its work through AIPCE, a body which has grown from strength to strength as self-regulation continues its spread through the continent."