The University of Malta’s Faculty for Social Wellbeing has called for ‘level-headedness’ in the debate surrounding the death of Daphne Caruana Galizia, as well as the acknowledgement of the importance of the fourth estate to ensure democracy, fairness and social equality.

It also called for the assurance of institutional impartiality so that the State’s duty to sustain secure and safe communities is guaranteed and the capacity to respect the rights and freedoms of all is confirmed.

Journalists should also be safeguarded from being demonized by political parties, individuals or groups, and all protections to be afforded in the course of their duties.

The faculty also called for the promotion of a more active civil society which recognises the value of investigative journalism and informed debate. 

“If we were to remove this fundamental freedom of expression from our communities to speak and articulate our thoughts, we would be in deep trouble, since the right to express and pronounce our thoughts is a central value which is at the core of what the Faculty for Social Wellbeing stands for,” the faculty’s dean, Professor Andrew Azzopardi said.  

“Journalists cannot carry the weight of counterbalancing power on their own.  It is also the role of academia to stand up and protect the right to ensure and guarantee the common good of our society.  It is of central importance that, as a community, we understand that we are all co-responsible for each other's wellbeing.  In is essential that we speak out loudly in favour of zero tolerance for hate speech.

We must never accept a culture of fear.  Fear is the enemy of critical thought and mature debate, which are at the heart of academic freedom and which drives the pursuit of truth through knowledge.”

The faculty said Monday’s incident was “not only an act of aggression, violence and cowardice but also an attack on all of us who try to articulate ideas and understand social truths.  All of this is not just about Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination, but about a Society that has been weakened by a dialectic of hostility.” 

In this regard, it appealed for society to “keep tabs on its moral compass and to remain a compassionate community.”