The public broadcaster PBS is the most watched television channel, ahead of TV stations owned by political parties. In addition to the three traditional, independent, English-language newspapers (Times of Malta, Malta Independent and Malta Today), there are online news portals and blogs. 

The ruling party wields a strong influence over the public radio broadcaster and uses state advertising to exert pressure on privately owned media. Many politicians select certain journalists for exclusive interviews, while those considered “hostile” are sidelined and targeted for attacks. Journalists must have a government-issued “access card” to cover government events or attend press conferences. 

Freedom of the press is guaranteed by the constitution, but the legal and regulatory framework does not allow journalists to exercise their rights. The authorities discriminate against independent outlets by denying them access to information, going so far as to challenge in court 40 freedom of information requests submitted by one media outlet. Even the family members of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, murdered in 2017, have been subjected to posthumous defamation suits. In 2024, a disproportionate court decree restricted journalistic coverage of the proceedings against the alleged mastermind behind her assassination.

Although it is relatively easy to launch a media outlet, the small market size offers limited sources of funding for independent media whose sustainability is undermined by non-transparent and discriminatory distribution of public funds. Subsidies are mostly granted to media outlets that toe the line of the political party in power. 

On almost every issue of public interest, Maltese society suffers from deep polarisation. Coverage of topics such as migration or abortion remains unpopular and incites abuse against journalists covering these topics. Very few journalists from minority groups work for the mainstream media. 

Justice still hasn’t been fully served for the 2017 murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. In 2021, one of the perpetrators and the middleman were pardoned in exchange for information. Between 2022 and 2026, five perpetrators were sentenced to long prison sentences. Yet the prime suspect for orchestrating the assassination, Yorgen Fenech, the richest man in the country, has been released on bail after five years in pre-trial detention as the legal process stalled.  Although the public inquiry recognised that “the state must take responsibility for the assassination because it created an atmosphere of impunity,” the resulting recommendations have not been implemented.