One newspaper that deserves to be rescued

The Maltese Herald, the 50-year-old bilingual weekly newspaper with Maltese roots and direction that is published in Australia, appears to be in serious danger of closing down.

Lino Vella, the newspaper’s editor for the past 41 years, has just informed its readers that, unless things change quickly for the better in terms of income derived from paid adverts, the Christmas issue will not only be the last one for this year but forever.

Mr Vella noted that the community, particularly societies, preferred to have their announcements published free of charge by other means of social communication. He could, of course, fully understand that but, particularly at his age, he admitted he was not in a position to continue pumping money into the newspaper to keep it going.

The number of Maltese who emigrated to Australia from the end of World War II to 1989 amounted to almost 90,000. The Maltese Herald emerged on July 28, 1961.

The Maltese community in Australia – so very small in such a large country – strove to remain united and to promote and defend its collective and individual rights and well-being as much as possible. The launching of a newspaper within their fold was seen as one of the means to sustain such unity and voice its concerns, while also maintaining a link with Malta.

The Maltese Herald had its ups and downs and its own share of controversies over the years. Yet, many would agree that, as stated by Lawrence Dimech, co-founder and the first editor of the newspaper on the occasion of the 50th anniversary, it has been an influential icon in the lives of Maltese people living in Australia. In Mr Dimech’s words, the newspaper served as a shield for the rights of the Maltese community, with its articles covering social services, housing schemes and dual citizenship issues, among others.

The Maltese Herald has had its own experience in the dominant role in public communication that newspapers have had over the past century, also in the face of the competition they had to face with the introduction of radio and then television. It now forms part of a long list of newspapers that are also struggling to adapt to the internet earthquake that has shaken the business model foundation, which has proven so successful in the past, as well as lack of sufficient support from advertisers and perhaps an ageing first-generation Maltese migrants population.

It is estimated that, nowadays, there are about 60,000 Malta-born and more than 120,000 second-generation Maltese people living in Australia. Therefore, the market for a Maltese dimension weekly paper aiming at sustaining the link between people of Maltese origin in Australia and also with Malta appears to be substantial.

It is true that there are various radio and TV programmes in Maltese in Australia, apart from the social media. But, as noted by Mr Dimech, “the printed media will always be the most effective and intimate means for those who really want to evaluate news and comments”.

It would be a pity were The Maltese Herald to disappear. Members of the Maltese community in Australia and elsewhere who believe that the newspaper still has a role to play and a function to fulfil should put their heads together to find a workable solution, first to stop the financial bleeding that risks leading the newspaper to its death and then to identify the best way ahead, perhaps through a fresh business and editorial model.