Mr Prime Minister, press freedom is a duty not a choice
It is clear that being held to account by independent media does not sit well
What do Viktor Orban, Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump, Narendra Modi, Daniel Ortega, Alexander Lukashenko, Ali Khamenei, Javier Milei, Robert Abela and To Lam have in common, apart from apparently being ‘strong’ male political leaders?
Hint: they share it with other political leaders such as Vladimir Putin, Richard Nixon, Joseph Muscat, Ilham Aliyev, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and many others.
The answer is varying levels of hostility and opposition to independent journalism and journalists. All lead or have led countries where press freedom is/was a matter of serious concern locally and internationally.
In 2025, Malta ranked 67th of 180 countries (just above Hungary in 68th) while the US ranked 57th (just below Sierra Leone) in the latest Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders. For the first time, the report classifies the state of press freedom internationally as being in a ‘difficult situation’. Conditions for journalism were rated as ‘poor’ in over 50% of the world’s countries after several years of general decline.
And the decline is not restricted to countries of traditional concern. It now impacts on each of us, even when we prefer to believe it doesn’t.
Of particular and immediate concern has been the widespread killing of journalists and news-related personnel in Gaza since 2023. While exact figures are hard to confirm (independent journalism in Gaza is prohibited by the Netanyahu regime), 200 plus have been killed to date, not counting those injured, missing or detained.
According to the UN very many of the attacks and killings have been intentional and indicate a deliberate strategy by Israeli forces to obstruct the media and to silence independent reporting.
If anyone should still doubt the importance and significance of such journalism and reporting (particularly in this time of the genocidal war on Gaza), a careful reading of the utterly shocking (and ethically revolting) story of Siwar Ashour, the six-month-old girl, by Palestinian journalist Malak Tantech is urgently needed.
Of particular importance and relevance here in Malta are references in such international reports to autocratisation, the formal description for democratic backsliding. High on the list of specific measures in such backsliding is the attempted censoring of the media through consistent attacks intended to undermine autonomy and independence. This is matched by direct attacks on named journalists and newsrooms, most egregiously from our Prime Minister.
Once such autocratisation becomes normalised, it is very difficult to upend once the structures and protections for journalism have been removed and once public judgment on independent journalism is damaged.
Judging by the vehemence and anger expressed by current and past Maltese politicians and businesspeople, it is clear that being held to account by independent media does not sit well with them.
Measured by the character of the responses to stories such as the calculated murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, the fraudulent hospitals deal or the pre-planned Electrogas scandal, accountability is deeply resented by those implicated. The level and extent of legal, political and administrative gymnastics they engage in to avoid exposure and accountability highlight this reality. The vehemence of their attacks on individual named journalists is further proof.
They consciously expose those journalists (as they did with Daphne Caruana Galizia) to significant danger.
Given the constant attacks on independent media and reporting in Malta, it is worth briefly recalling why a free press is fundamental to the health of our democracy. Uncovering the truth is one of its core functions related directly to nurturing informed public awareness and judgment. Attacking or blocking the uncovering of such truths is a key characteristic of autocratisation.
It is plain as day that Maltese society would still be woefully ignorant of what has been done by its ‘highest’ political and economic ‘leaders’ in recent decades were it not for the independence of key media.
To this day, the independent press in Malta continues to expose the depth and scale of official and unofficial criminality and corruption that continues to stalk these islands, and which continually tarnishes brand Malta internationally.
Other added value elements of press freedom include assisting in the creation of a climate where individuals and organisations can express viewpoints and positions without fear of unwarranted censorship.
The existence of a free and independent press is crucial also in the context of protecting and promoting human rights, especially the rights of vulnerable, marginalised and powerless individuals and groups.
Active support for the existence and defence of independent media, journalism and fact-based reporting and analysis is a basic requirement for responsible citizenship in today’s world and, of course, in today’s Malta.