The Office of the Prime Minister has specified that only selected media will now be accompanying the Prime Minister on trips abroad.

Kurt Farrugia, the OPM’s communications chief, has written to The Malta Independent to explain that the practice that all media joins the PM on trips abroad has now been stopped. The policy now is for sections of the media to be invited.

After Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announced his trip to China for the signing of a memorandum of understanding, The Malta Independent news editor Rachel Attard sent emails to Mr Farrugia and tried to call him several times, but did not get a reply.

It was only after The Malta Independent published a story saying that this media house was left out of the China trip – while PBS, The Times and Maltatoday were selected to join the PM – that Mr Farrugia sent an email to explain a change in policy.

Until recently, all media were invited to accompany the PM on press trips abroad, but in the China case Mr Farrugia confirmed that only three newsrooms were invited. He added that The Malta Independent will be invited for other occasions in the future in what Mr Farrugia said will be a “fair rotation”.

The PM is in China for the signing of a wide-ranging agreement covering several aspects of relations with China. Ironically, the PM announced the trip during a business breakfast organised by this publishing house through The Malta Business Weekly.