The council of the Institute of Maltese Journalists has resolved to publish in its entirety the report of the Committee of Media Experts on proposed changes to media laws unless this was tabled in Parliament by the government on Monday.

Earlier in September, almost 90 local journalists, columnists, researchers, and activists urged Prime Minister Robert Abela to open proposals to reform Maltese media laws to public consultation.

They said the government has yet to publish a report produced by a committee of media experts, six weeks after it was completed.

In a reply, the Office of the Prime Minister had said that the government is bound with the terms of reference of the report which state that this has to be tabled in Parliament. This, the OPM said, would be done during Parliament's first meeting after the summer recess.

In its statement on Friday, the IĠM noted that Parliament reconvenes after the summer recess on Monday.

It said its council also resolved to back the calls by editors, journalists, columnists, researchers and activists to open proposals to reform Maltese media laws to public consultation in the form of a White Paper. 

The council said it believed that it is only after the widest consultation exercise that Malta can have the best possible laws to protect journalism and journalists.

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