Maltese media has evolved from one of reporting events and news to one that proactively shapes public opinion. Its objective or subjective watchfulness and investigative journalism has elevated its status to that of the fourth estate.

Over the last decade, Maltese society has also become more liberal, individualistic and digitally smart, and as much as we have an inquisitive population that demands its right to know, we also have an audience that thrives on sensational artificiality. At the same time, the public has become more adept at shifting through an array of facts and untruths to formulate an opinion.

On line social media posts and mobile text messages have increased access and further guaranteed our freedom of expression. With a click of a button, we have all become potential journalists or home based political commentators creating and sharing posts in real time. This free flow of pluralistic information is most often complemented by vibrant images and its content addresses personal opinions, motives and sentiments that range from small to big news coverage, to communicating ideas on all aspects of our social, cultural, religious and political life. New inroads have been created which has challenged the viability of the traditional link that exists between mass media, whether in print, aired or visual, and the other estates, namely Parliament, the executive and the judiciary. On line customized statements are bypassing independent, state or partisan media and are competing with it, to the extent that traditional media has not only resorted to having its own interactive digital platforms but selectively quotes newsworthy statements from citizens or use these chat rooms to conduct public opinion polls. In actual fact, it is a people's voice that cannot be ignored. This wide scale interaction between people has no frontiers and is also used as a commercial marketing tool and to spread political ideology.

It is a digital switch over that has empowered citizens to be proactive participants and championed a demand for more openness. At a national level expectations are especially high for fairness, better living standards, environment's preservation and responsible governance. It is a medium that portrays a people's dynamic perception which can be influential, virulent and have far-reaching consequences in moulding public opinion as it reaches the roots of society immediately.

It is a well-known fact that all channels of communication are open to misuse. News or opinions may be made to sound worse, a good story look bad, or else coloured by emphasizing one part of a statement and not another. This is more likely to be so with politically affiliated media, although I must state that even free, independent media may be compromised by commercial interests. No matter how legally sound our regulatory bodies are, a healthy media has to be checked by a judiciary system that is technical and timely. It is the key player that holds true to Universal Human Rights. It is most unfortunate that, more often than not, judgement on defamation is delivered too late to correct the damage inflicted on the reputation of a person or an entity. Wise expediency is a must and this calls for revaluation. 

On the other hand, we live in an era where terrorists' misuse of social media is an ever-growing global phenomenon. It is a new way to radicalize, recruit personnel, raise funds and spread hate images. Democracies who rightfully embrace freedom of expression are the most vulnerable. Their media inadvertently ends up as channels that propagate terror, as the competitive nature of a pluralistic media adds synergy to this phenomenon.

I am of the opinion that we have reached a stage where mass and social media companies have to rethink their position and be more sensitive about the content of their stories. They need to be more self-regulatory within the limits of the rule of law. After all, freedom of speech is not absolute when it comes to obscenity, copyright, the right to privacy, public security or commercial secrets. So what is holding us back in this? These are our new challenges.

 

Dr Farrugia is a Labour Party Member of Parliament and the government's Parliamentary Whip