Malta’s journalism body has written to the prime minister and urged him to extend financial aid announced earlier this week to journalists and the media sector. 

In the letter, the Institute of Maltese Journalists noted that the media sector had been given financial aid by various European governments, and urged the Maltese government to do the same. 

They provided examples of how other governments were helping media houses and freelance journalists get over the current economic crash. 

News outlets have been badly hit by the economic slump caused by the coronavirus pandemic, with advertising revenues decimated and newspaper sales plummeting as people remain indoors. 

The slump has also had a knock-on effect on freelance journalists and camera persons, with many no longer being commissioned as media houses slash costs to remain solvent and others, such as those in the sports sector, finding themselves out of a job due to the cancellation of sporting events. 

Despite that, the sector is not eligible for financial aid under measures unveiled by the government. 

“Journalists are essential in a democratic society,” the IGM said. “Without their work, people are not kept informed about what is happening in the country. Even the government needs the backing and help of journalists to get its message across to the people”. 

The IGM’s calls echo a request made by the Nationalist Party for the government to set up a specific fund to help media houses report the coronavirus pandemic.

The PN said that the fund, which would be independently administered, would give the media the resources it needed to adequately report the pandemic and fight back against misinformation being shared on social media.