Repubblika has submitted its response to the government’s Media Reform Public Consultation, stressing the urgent need for meaningful action to address systemic failures in Malta’s legal, institutional, and cultural framework for media freedom. The submission, made in the shadow of the Daphne Caruana Galizia public inquiry findings, underlines the government’s unresolved obligations towards the protection of journalists and independent newsrooms as a pillar of democracy.
Repubblika’s response: key points
- Constitutional Recognition of Journalism: Repubblika urges the government to enshrine independent journalism in Malta’s Constitution, recognising it as fundamental to democracy and guaranteeing the right to seek and receive information.
- Protection for Sources and Whistleblowers: The organisation calls for the unconditional legal protection of journalistic sources and whistleblowers, advocating for independent reporting channels and immunity for journalists publishing whistleblower disclosures.
- Abolition of the Media Security Committee: Repubblika denounces the government-controlled Media Security Committee, arguing that its lack of oversight poses a threat to press freedom and contradicts both the public inquiry’s findings and European standards. The group demands the committee’s immediate abolition and replacement with a genuinely independent mechanism.
- Effective Anti-SLAPP Safeguards: The submission criticises Malta’s transposition of the EU anti-SLAPP directive as inadequate and calls for strong domestic protections, including the early dismissal of abusive lawsuits, cost-shifting, and broad public interest defences.
- Comprehensive Reform of Public Service Media: Repubblika insists on structural and operational reforms for PBS and the Broadcasting Authority to ensure independence from executive intervention, predictable multi-year funding, and oversight mechanisms involving civil society and journalism professionals.
- Transparency in State Advertising and Media Funding: The organisation demands that state advertising be managed by an independent body, with proactive and open publication of allocations to prevent state resources being used to reward loyalty or stifle criticism.
- Freedom of Information Overhaul: Repubblika calls for a complete overhaul of Malta’s FOI regime, emphasising a presumption of disclosure and fully accessible public registers, with appeals handled by independent bodies.
- Journalist Safety and Accountability: The group advocates treating threats and harassment of journalists as aggravated offences, establishing rapid-response protection, publishing annual enforcement statistics, and implementing specialised protocols for law enforcement agencies.
Timeline for Reform
Repubblika recommends clear deadlines for the implementation of reforms:
- Immediate abolitio0n of the Media Security Committee and a moratorium on its activities
- Within six months: Domestic anti-SLAPP legislation and overhaul of the FOI process
- Within nine months: Reforms to PBS and the Broadcasting Authority for independence and reliable funding
- Within twelve months: Constitutional amendments guaranteeing journalism’s role and the right to information
The era of half-measures and rhetorical commitment to press freedom without real, tangible progress must come to an end. The public inquiry into Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination has already presented a clear roadmap, which has yet to be implemented.
Failing to do so will demonstrate bad faith on the part of the government and reinforce doubts about the authenticity and credibility of the government’s commitment to protecting independent journalism and the right to information.
Repubblika calls on the Maltese government to take immediate, decisive action to safeguard press freedom, public accountability, and the health of democracy in Malta.