The second amendment to the libel law that the government published yesterday is labelled as the government’s initiative to provide “protection against judgements abusively obtained from courts outside Malta”. The government handed journalists paper umbrellas and sent them out in the rain. There are a number of reasons why I say that. Firstly, the government [...]

This morning I reviewed the bill proposing constitutional amendments that the government published yesterday ostensibly to strengthen media freedom. I turn now to the second bill the government announced yesterday and I’ll split this review in two parts, starting in this series with the two provisions proposed by the government to address SLAPP suits. Once [...]

The European Commission announced today it was dragging Malta to the European Court of Justice because Malta sells its citizenship to people who have nothing to do with the country. That, the Commission argues, is in breach of the legal principle that we should “cooperate sincerely” with other member states. The biggest value to Maltese [...]

The third amendment to the constitution the government published yesterday rejigs the constitutional principle of free expression and, interestingly, the drafters resort to a universally respected source: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Indeed, the new text that establishes the right to free expression is nearly identical to the Universal Declaration. Except. Except is the [...]

The second amendment to the constitution in the bill the government published yesterday is an amendment to the constitution’s Article 38 which rejigs the constitutional provisions on the protection for privacy. Now it’s a mystery why this issue has been jumbled with a discussion on media freedom. No doubt there is a relationship between the [...]

The first amendment to the constitution published by the government yesterday introduces a new statement that says that: The State recognises the freedom of the media and the role of the media as a public watchdog together with the right to exercise free journalism as fundamental elements of democracy. The State shall protect and promote [...]

I start, as I often do, with a disclaimer of incompetence. I am not a lawyer, let alone a constitutional expert. I speak to lawyers, and I can read but what I write here is nothing more than a journalistic assessment. I look forward to the published opinions of qualified experts, proper constitutional lawyers whom [...]

The justice minister published three bills, including a constitutional amendment, presented as reforms to protect media freedom and the journalists doing the work. Jonathan Attard said the reforms are the government’s reaction to recommendations by the public inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. The government took up the PN’s proposal from last year, [...]

Repubblika, #occupyjustice and this website announced today the program of events marking the fifth anniversary of the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. The calendar of events is as follows: From Saturday 8th October 2022: An exhibition with the theme ‘Daphne Eroj Maltija’ will be set-up outside Valletta’s City Gate. On Wednesday 12th October 2022: A [...]

Late this morning the government announced that within one hour the Justice Minister will be delivering a “press conference on Bills for the strengthening of protection and freedom of the media”. The announcement after the government ignored a letter signed by over a hundred journalists, academics, and free speech campaigners calling for public consultation. We’ll [...]

I don’t know who to blame for a bunch of young people deciding they’d rather stay home than speak at a mock Parliament on a controversial subject. Seen from the outside the youth parliament is one of those yearly depressing rituals meant to reassure us that democracy is functioning, and inter-generational dialogue is a thing. [...]

Not one, but two government ministers took time out of their busy schedules to speak about what truly matters: how the planet must be saved with ‘sustainable projects’. Julia Farrugia Portelli and Miriam Dalli said the government was putting your money where its mouth is and supporting voluntary organisations in their effort to realise the [...]

In June 2020 this website and The Shift News got a royal bashing from the Chamber of Advocates. It was over reporting and commentary on the two sites about Aron Mifsud Bonnici. The Chamber issued a statement of support for Mifsud Bonnici “condemning without reservation” the two websites and proceeding to advise what a “serious [...]

From my article in The Sunday Times today: Photo: The Sunday Times/Matthew Mirabelli "There are thickly veiled signs that the government is readying itself to publish a legislative package that they present as the implementation of the inquiry recommendations to guarantee press freedom. The prime minister will, like he has before now, present [...]

Byron Camilleri did a Joe Giglio on Andrew Azzopardi’s show yesterday. “Repubblika?” he scoffed, fiddling with his tie like Oliver Hardy in a sticky situation. “They’re just an extremist faction of the PN.” Presumably without hearing him, Mark Said writing today in Times of Malta and The Malta Independent, presents Byron Camilleri with a response. [...]

I first started getting properly interested in domestic politics after the 1992 elections. There were two political strands that intrigued me. The first was the government’s plan to secure Malta’s membership in the EU. There was a frenzy of excitement that the EU’s enlargement was imminent. Indeed, it turned out to be with four countries [...]

It was depressing enough to see a magistrate behaving like an infant in front of an open court. Nadine Lia read out her decree from a script, ignored a call from the lawyer of one of the parties to speak, and stormed out of court to avoid any further argument. That was bad enough. It got [...]

Publishing is a business, albeit a shrinking one. Advertising is a business, though its fundamentals are shifting rapidly. Public relations is a business, its future as undoubted as hairdressing and funeral homes. Journalism is not a business. The moment it becomes one it stops being journalism and it becomes publishing, advertising, or public relations. This [...]

A group of over 100 journalists, academics, activists, and artists concerned with free speech have written today to Prime Minister Robert Abela urging him to publish the advice he received from the group of experts he appointed in January to advise him on laws to protect free speech. The signatories of the letter include editors [...]