Veteran journalist and Times of Malta assistant editor Matthew Xuereb has been appointed president of the Institute of Maltese Journalists.
Xuereb replaces former president Sylvana Debono, who is moving on from journalism.
He is one of two new faces on the institute’s council.
MaltaToday online editor and fellow journalism veteran Kurt Sansone has also been co-opted onto the IĠM council as its new general secretary, replacing former TVM journalist Nigel Mifsud who will also be leaving the profession.
In a brief statement, IĠM thanked Debono and Mifsud for their contributions to the field.
Xuereb’s career, spanning two decades and two newsrooms, began at the Malta Independent and continued at Times of Malta, where he has served as a journalist, head of news and then assistant editor.
“It is an absolute honour and privilege to serve in this role where I can directly contribute towards giving the profession the protection it deserves as well as take journalism to the next level,” Xuereb said following his appointment.
Sansone said: “Journalism continues to play an important role in democracy despite the multiple challenges we face, which is why I accepted to serve on the IĠM council from where I hope to contribute to strengthen the profession."
In November of last year, Xuereb received IĠM’s ‘best print journalism’ award for his report on dire conditions at Mount Carmel hospital.
Both Sansone and Xuereb will serve on the council until at least 2022, when the council’s current term expires.
In a statement announcing the newest members of the council, the organisation outlined that the goal of relaunching a revised code of ethics and exploring avenues for continuous professional development will be “high on the agenda”.
“The Council will continue working on enhancing journalism in Malta through education, protect those within the field who face hardships while in the line of duty, bolstering ethical principles within the journalistic sector, while also advocating the values of freedom of expression and the role of the fourth estate in a democracy,” the statement concluded.
Besides Xuereb and Sansone, the rest of the council members are vice-president and fellow Times of Malta journalist Claire Farrugia, Christine Amaira, Neil Camilleri, Julian Bonnici, Mario Schiavone, Charles Camenzuli, Domenic Aquilina and Sandro Micallef.