Press association condemns MFA president’s 'bullying' of sports media
'Right of reply is no space to attack or bully journalists' - Institute of Maltese Journalists
The Institute of Maltese Journalists and the Malta Sports Journalists Association on Thursday condemned the behaviour of Malta Football Association president Bjorn Vassallo over a report on the association’s volunteer programme for sports photographers.
Earlier this week, sports jornalist Antvin Monseigneur reportedly accused the local governing body of “two weights and two measures” after the MFA issued a call for volunteer photographers ahead of the 2025-26 season.
In response, Vassallo criticised the behaviour of former sports journalist and Sportswriter Association president Sandro Micallef, as well as sports journalists Christopher Francalanza, Charles Camenzuli and Monseigneur for their reaction in the same Facebook post.
In a joint statement, the IĠM and MSJA insisted that a right of reply "is not a space to attack of bully journalists".
“The IĠM and MSJA have seen the right of reply by the MFA, in English and in Maltese, to the news outlet Malta Sport as well as a letter sent to AiMS Chairman Antonio Mizzi complaining about the behaviour of two of its employees and a private text message sent by MFA President Bjorn Vassallo to one of the complainants.
“While any entity is free to publish a right of reply to correct any mistakes in reporting, a right of reply is not a space to attack or bully journalists. This applies to all categories of journalism.”
The IĠM and MSJA condemned the tone used in the Maltese version of the right of reply against three of the complainants, especially given that they only expressed their opinion on social media and did not contribute to the reportage.
“The IĠM and MSJA also condemn the MFA President’s text message sent privately to one of the four complainants, which ends with an inappropriate ‘Rest in peace’ (‘Strieħ fil-paċi’).
“This, coupled with the MFA President’s letter to AiMS about two of the complainants, who are also employed with the authority, can be considered an attempt to personally intimidate the complainants for expressing an opinion online.
“The IĠM and MSJA hope that the MFA will retract the part of the right of reply that singles out the complainants and be more responsible in the future when responding to criticism.”