An analysis of Malta’s complex local digital media system and the needs for reform

What is it about?

Malta, the smallest country in the EU, has a unique and complicated hyperlocal media landscape for a democratic state. This chapter looks at the difficult relationship between the government, the state-run public broadcaster, the media owned by political parties, and independent online voices often referred to as the Fifth Estate. It describes how political influence has long threatened independent journalism in Malta, alongside the weakening, though still noticeable, social influence of the Catholic Church. The chapter highlights several ongoing problems: the decline in Malta’s media freedom rankings, weak national media regulation, the strong grip of the two main political parties, and the widespread shift of audiences to social media. These issues add to the already existing commercial pressures faced by local media and citizen journalists. Major events have intensified both local and international calls for reform. These include the assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, the death of teenager Jean Paul Sofia on a construction site, and recent changes in voting behaviour. Drawing on this context, the chapter puts forward a model of Malta’s hyperlocal media ecosystem. This model uses established media theories to show how such systems operate in small states and how they shape the way people understand reality.

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Photo by Rami Al-zayat on Unsplash

Photo by Rami Al-zayat on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This chapter provides a model for analysing media systems on small states, where digital media plays an important part in the country's political ecosystem.

Perspectives