As always happens on World Press Freedom Day, which was last week, World Press Freedom Index rankings for 2025 were published by Reporters Without Borders.
Malta ranked 67th, an improvement over the 2024 index, by six positions to be precise, but also meaning that the country remains one of the worst ranked in the European Union.
Malta placed behind a wide variety of EU and non-EU countries, including Ukraine, the United States, Italy, Romania, and Brazil, along with just barely placing ahead of Hungary in 68th.
Despite improving its position, Malta's placement among EU countries is still weak, being the 23rd highest out of 27 EU countries on the index. In 2024, Malta had placed 26th out of 27 EU countries.
On why Malta's score has improved though, Pavol Szalai, the Head of RSF's EU-Balkan area noted that the better score "reflects a certain optimism in 2024" as a result of the adoption of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) by the EU, the announcement about the implementation of anti-SLAPP measures by the Maltese government and by the prosecution of corruption revealed by journalists.
He noted however that the EMFA has not been implemented yet, and that the anti-SLAPP legal notice is an "absolutely insufficient protection."
However, the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia continues to cast a "dark shadow" on press freedom and the safety of journalists in the country, Szalai noted.
On a global level, journalism and the truth is under assault from all fronts. Malta is in many ways no different. There have been steps forward: the implementation of anti-SLAPP legislation for example is a good start, but it feels like this was done in a rush just so Malta can be the first EU member state to transpose the EU's anti-SLAPP directives.
Another report issued this week - the Liberties Media Freedom Report 2025 - also highlighted "serious gaps and deficiencies" in Malta's anti-SLAPP law.
Justin Borg-Barthet an expert in legislation aimed at preventing SLAPPs and a professor of law at the University of Aberdeen, had previously told The Malta Independent on Sunday that "the Maltese implementation is a minimum implementation. Insofar as the EU legislation is a significant improvement on the absence of legislation, then the Maltese legislation equally is a sound contribution to the legal landscape of freedom of expression in Malta."
However, Borg-Barthet said, "it was a very rushed process. There was no consultation on the specific draft and there was no attempt to go beyond the bare minimum."
There is plenty of room where this law can be strengthened, and the government should endeavour to work with the stakeholders in the media in order to reach that goal.
Another area which requires attention is on the legislative side for the media sector as a whole. Way back in October 2023, the Prime Minister tabled a report of a Committee of Media Experts and declared that he agrees with the request to have a White Paper to suggest reforms for the sector.
Since then, the White Paper remains elusive in its absence.
And lest we forget that there is still a long road to go before the harassment of journalists is taken seriously. We need only look at the latest debacle surrounding Daphne Caruana Galizia's memory, as former government official Neville Gafa is now orchestrating a campaign to erase the journalist's memorial from the foot of the Great Siege Monument.
It's par for the course for a man who had no problem stalking Daphne Caruana Galizia while she was still alive.
One only hopes that should a journalist suffer similar harassment to that, proper action is taken.