‘Independent’ media owners and PN now officially in bed with Labour

Allied Newspapers (Times of Malta), MediaToday (MaltaToday and Illum) and Standard Publications (The Malta Independent) have formed what they call a ‘lobby group’ to ‘protect and promote’ their interests – together with the Nationalist Party and the governing Labour Party.

The ‘Association of Media Owners’ includes both party media houses, PN’s Media.Link and Labour’s Sound Vision Print, as well as Union Print which is owned by Labour’s General Workers’ Union.

In a statement on Friday, AMO said it is “open to all those print and digital media organisations backed by a full-time newsroom of at least seven journalists and three media workers”.

While this arbitrary rule even excludes Lovin Malta from participating in the association, it remains questionable which other media house would consider ‘lobbying’ together with media owned by or closely linked to the government party – the very counterpart in any serious lobbying activity.

Yet the association claims it will “aim to establish and maintain dialogue with governments, institutions, business organisations, international agencies and accredited experts”.

“This is how the government coerces and co-opts major media organisations like The Times of Malta and The Malta Independent into its systems, structures and regulations”, author and journalist Mark Camilleri commented the announcement on Friday.

AMO also stated it wants to “establish contacts, liaise and conclude agreements of cooperation with other similar institutions or associations”.

It remains to be seen how international organisations will react to the unusual composition of the association’s members.

Bonġu has asked all participating media houses and political parties to provide its newsroom with the full AMO statement and information about the persons forming the association’s executive.

There has been no reply at the time of publishing.