The Institute of Maltese Journalists (IĠM) said that next time a state ceremony such as the swearing in of a new President was held it expected "more effective arrangements" that would meet the requirements of journalists and cameramen present.

The institute issued a statement in relation to comments it made last Saturday soon after the swearing in of President George Abela when it condemned the way journalists and cameramen were treated by the Department of Information.

The director general responsible for the DOI, Martin Bugelli, said yesterday he had contacted IĠM chairman Malcolm J. Naudi in order to explain the procedures followed and also to demonstrate documented evidence of how such events were covered in the past.

In its comments yesterday, the institute corrected a statement it made last Saturday when it said that five years ago journalists were allowed on the front seats when President Eddie Fenech Adami was sworn in, which had not been the case. However, it insisted on its criticism about the positioning of journalists and the restrictions they were faced with last Saturday.

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