Foreign minister George Vella called for a more controlled media whilst speaking in parliament this evening.

“One can be more aggressive through the media than through talking alone. The media cannot be used for character assassinations on the one hand, whilst striving for cooperation on the other,” Dr Vella said.

The minister said that media will only forment bad blood if not reined in. He said that if politicians do not respect each other, then the public “won’t respect us.”

Dr Vella has come under fire of late after revelations that he is continuing to see patients. He has also been lambasted for banning mobile phones from his office.

“There is already a bad perception about the political class,” Dr Vella said.

Dr Vella did concede that the media is “the fourth pillar of democracy.” He did not elaborate on how the media should be controlled initially, but later clarified his comment.

The foreign minister said that his ministry will be the first to hold a public meeting on the 3 June. The scope of this meeting is to allow the public and the media to field any questions they may have.

“We will be an open government,” Dr Vella promised. 

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George Vella reacts

Reacting to the report on The Malta Independent Online, Dr Vella clarified that the spirit and the tone of his speech was not for control of the media.

He said that his appeal was for the media to be more self regulating.