The government is giving financial assistance to the media in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, but this is not enough and the public should also support media houses, Culture Minister Jose Herrera said on Wednesday.

In Parliament, the Minister spoke about journalism and the new challenges that mainstream media is facing due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

He said that, "this difficult time is affecting many sectors within our country and we must make sure to protect them."

"Mainstream media are experiencing a substantial shortfall in advertising because, naturally, due to Covid-19, there has been a decline in business and the economy," he said. The traditional newspaper media, he said, depends heavily on advertising, but newspaper sales have decreased substantially.

Herrera referred to a statement by British politician Oliver Dowden, who said that news media is an "important emergency service," and that traditional media are already suffering as a result of social media and technology.

Dowden appealed to the UK to safeguard the media and encouraged the public to buy newspapers. Herrera said he agreed with Dowden's appeal.

The Minister said the situation in Malta is similar and the mainstream media will cease to exist unless supported.

"Even if one buys and reads the newspaper online, this would already be helping the mainstream media."

He said "journalism is the fourth pillar of democracy" and if the traditional media ceases to function "we will be facing a democratic deficit within our country."