An organisation like the one that publishes The Times and The Sunday Times (as well as producing Malta’s leading website for news and comment) cannot know where it is heading unless it is conscious of its past.
The 75th anniversary of our sister paper – which Allied Newspapers Ltd considers as the anniversary of its entire stable – is as good an opportunity as any to pause and reflect on that.
In the magazine being distributed with The Sunday Times today, readers will be able to see a snapshot of the character that has been imbued in the newspapers and its editors.
Ever since their first issues, the newspapers have led the field in terms of credibility in its various forms.
They have served readers with an accurate description of momentous and mundane events – locally and abroad – and just as importantly done so in a manner that transcends the personal opinions of those who are responsible for putting the papers together.
They have stood for principles they believe in through thick and thin, during the difficult war years and even in the aftermath of an arson attack on Strickland House, where the newspapers have been printed.
Yet, credibility goes even deeper than that. The Times and The Sunday Times are not owned by any individual, but fall under the umbrella of a foundation in Mabel Strickland’s name.
Ms Strickland always insisted and practised the cardinal principle that the editorial sections which put the newspapers together are not only unencumbered by forces from the outside, such as the financial clout of advertisers; but just as important are not unduly influenced by any other people inside the organisation – such as the management who look after the running and the financial well-being of the company.
She did this with good reason, for she was aware that journalists work best and produce their most honest and credible material when they are not subject to people’s whims or interests. Few organisations in the world can boast a set-up such as ours and it is something that should make all the people associated with the two newspapers proud.
The magazine is evidence too that Allied Newspapers Ltd has not been a static organisation. Far from it, the newspapers have evolved over the years and, especially in the past 20 years or so, adapted to suit modern-day demands and needs. It also had the foresight to embrace the internet revolution and has invested heavily in that regard to ensure the best possible product, and in the process draw new readers.
However, while the Allied stable has developed in an atmosphere where the media became a lot more free than 30 years ago, it is a shame to note that a number of laws that govern the press in Malta have not.
We remain hampered by overly-restrictive libel laws. This is one of the few Western countries where truth is not a complete defence in a libel suit and where a journalist can still end up in court if he faithfully reports what a prominent public figure – such as the Prime Minister or Leader of the Opposition – says, if it is not in a “public” place. This is practically the only country in Europe that subjects an editor to criminal sanction – not civil – if he or she does not carry in its entirety a politician’s reply.
Provisions of this nature do not belong in a country that is a member of the European Union and should be confined to the context of the past that gave rise to them.
As for us, we only look forward with confidence to the future while, along with many people in the country, expressing the hope that the chairman of the Strickland Foundation, President Emeritus Guido de Marco, wins the battle to return to better health.