The Institute of Maltese Journalists (IĠM) has elected a new council for the 2026–2028 term, with journalist Nicole Meilak chosen as president following the organisation's annual general meeting held on Friday.
Meilak succeeds Matthew Xuereb, who stepped down after serving as IĠM president for the past six years.
The new executive also includes Clara Farrugia as secretary general and Robert Louis Fenech as treasurer. The council is made up of Daniel Ellul, Kevin Schembri Orland, Sarah Carabott, Semira Shalan, Juliana Zammit and Emma Brownrigg Fenech. All nominees were unanimously approved by members attending the AGM.
Addressing members after her election, Meilak said she was honoured by the confidence placed in her and pledged to build on the work of the previous council.
"Our priorities include community outreach and capacity-building to improve conditions in the news sector," she said.
During the meeting, members also approved amendments to the institute's statute, including the removal of redundant provisions and changes to the council's financial policy. An updated version of the statute will be published once finalised.
The AGM also approved a motion appointing outgoing president Matthew Xuereb and outgoing vice-president Kurt Sansone as advisers to the new council for the next six months, with the arrangement open to review thereafter. Xuereb said the pair would not attend council meetings but would provide advice when requested.
In his final address as president, Xuereb reflected on the institute's achievements during his six-year tenure, describing it as "an honour and a privilege" to lead the organisation.
He highlighted the establishment of unionisation for journalists, efforts to lay the groundwork for media reform, and advocacy for stronger legal protections for journalists, including anti-SLAPP legislation.
"We turned the IĠM's dream of decades into reality with unionisation and worked to lay the groundwork for media reform and stronger protections for journalists," Xuereb said, wishing the incoming council success.
Outgoing vice-president Kurt Sansone also wished the new leadership well, saying it was time for "new blood" to take the institute forward as both a union seeking to improve journalists' working conditions and an advocate for a safer media environment.
Reflecting on the past six years, Sansone said the IĠM had pushed for comprehensive legal reforms to strengthen protections for journalists, but regretted that more substantial changes had not materialised because of what he described as a lack of political will.
Over the past six years, the institute has also expanded its professional development programmes for journalists and photojournalists, published newsroom guidelines on discriminatory language and harmful narratives, strengthened engagement with stakeholders, and increased its international profile. During this period, the IĠM became the first Maltese organisation to hold the presidency of the European Federation of Press Clubs and served for six years as a judge for the European Parliament's Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism.