The government will be tabling an amendment to the Press Act “in the coming days” that effectively removes the possibility of a prison sentence for journalists and other media figures found guilty of libel, Justice and Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg said yesterday.

Dr Borg made the announcement during the television discussion programme, Realta, which is presented by Brian Hansford and which discussed electoral reform. He was reacting to an announcement about the newly-formed Journalists Action Committee that has been set up to defend press freedom and that will be campaigning, among other issues, for a new Freedom of Information Act.

Currently, the maximum prison sentence for libel offences, under the Press Act, is three months and/or a fine of an unspecified amount. The prison sentence remains in force for malicious behaviour, slander, offending public morals and similar offences.

Although provision for imprisoning journalists found guilty of libel is included in the Press Act, it has not been used in recent memory. However, some recent sentences that have been passed down against the media have given rise for concern, especially the way in which the media was portrayed. The proposal to eliminate prison sentences was mentioned in the White Paper, entitled Towards A Better Administration of Justice, which was launched by the ministry some months back.