Maltese journalists are still being harassed on a daily basis and the authorities, including politicians, should pronounce themselves against any type of anti-media rhetoric, the Institute of Maltese Journalists (IĠM) said in a statement on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day being celebrated on Sunday.
The institute said that while skimming through comments posted on social media as a reaction to the daily medical bulletin by the health authorities, or beneath news articles or opinion pieces related to the latest migration saga, one could easily notice vile threats and bullying. This was not and would never be tolerable.
“We can never accept any type of blatant hatred towards people who work tirelessly to provide the public with factually correct information, having to compete with a wave of misinformation that litters most social media platforms,” it said.
The institute referred to remarks by the Prime Minister on Sunday that he would “appreciate” if journalists stuck to the subject and did not delve into issues related to the migration crisis.
This was not on, the institute said adding that journalists’ questions could never be restricted to a particular subject that the authority deemed fit. This simply fuelled more hatred towards what constituted the fourth pillar in a democracy.
IĠM notes the Opposition leader’s initiative to start having televised weekly interviews with questions being fielded by journalists from the independent media. This, it said, was a step in the right direction and it invited the Prime Minister to follow suit.
It also proposed the holding of a weekly press conference organised for the sole purpose to let journalists representing all media houses field questions.
IĠM regretted that Malta kept stooping lower in the World Press Freedom Index issued by Reporters Without Borders.
Malta was now 31 places lower than it was in 2016.
“We reiterate that no society can be truly, free and democratic, if it is not well-informed, and in this respect, this latest drop is worrying as much as it is disappointing.”
IĠM noted that weaknesses in the rule of law ultimately hindered journalism and that much more needed to be done to allow journalists access to important information.
That the Council of Europe’s platform for media freedom and safety of journalists’ annual report, issued this week, labelled Malta as a “country of exceptional concern”, was even more worrying.
The failure of authorities to act on reports of corruption in addition to allowing bad actors to act with impunity left journalists alone and at risk.
The IĠM said that, on this day, it remembered Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was murdered more than 2.5 years ago, by someone who wanted to deprive the public of information.
“While during the past months we have witnessed significant developments, we are still waiting for justice to be served,” it said.