The Institute of Maltese Journalists (IĠM) welcomed a parliamentary statement by Culture Minister José Herrera on the need to protect the independent media.

Speaking in Parliament, Herrera called on the government to step up financial support to the mainstream media, which is fighting for survival after a sharp drop in advertising revenue, decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

He called on government entities, clubs and private organisations to sustain the print media by buying newspapers. Similarly, he called on businesses to advertise their products and services on the media. 

The IĠM said in a Facebook post it was reassuring to hear the minister stress the importance of a free and independent media.

While it endorsed the minister's appeal to the public to buy local newspapers, there was a clear need for a broader discussion about the media and the manner in which it could be supported.

While a good initiative, having government entities buy local newspapers would barely scratch the surface. Such a measure would also only affect the print sector and not the broader journalistic landscape.

IĠM said it would be more than happy to discuss the matter in more depth with Herrera with the hope of finding long-term solutions that could ensure the media's survival.

The media sector, the IĠM said, needed a permanent and independent structure of financing. 

Not seriously discussing this would possibly lead to the day where those in power would face shame amid the death of newspapers and other media outlets in Malta.