The Faculty for Social Well-being at the University of Malta has teamed up with Ossigeno per l’informazione to organise a symposium on the pressures facing journalists and media actors in Malta and elsewhere. The symposium is entitled ‘The assault on journalism: taking stock of pressures on journalists in the aftermath of the killing of Daphne Caruana Galizia’.

The Faculty for Social Well-being recognises that freedom of expression is one of the basic conditions for the progress of society and for the development of every person. Journalists enable public debate, act as public watchdogs, inform on matters of public interest and consequently hold those high in the power structures to account, thus ensuring citizens’ access to the process of governance.

Since 2006, Ossigeno per l’informazione has been recording, analysing and recounting cases of threats against media workers and attempts to obscure news of public interest in Italy. It has developed a methodology over time in order to reproduce as faithfully as possible the broader context of intimidation that those who work in the media suffer.

The symposium will be introduced by Andrew Azzopardi, dean of the Faculty for Social Well-being. The speakers are Alberto Spampinato from Ossigeno per l’informazione who will talk about his organisation’s methodology; Marilyn Clark from the Department of Psychology, Faculty for Social Well-being, who will present a study by the Council of Europe on journalists under pressure; Ricardo Gutierrez, executive secretary of the European Federation of Journalists who will talk on the role of journalism associations; and Herman Grech, online editor of the Times of Malta, who will discuss the pressures on journalists in Malta.

The event is taking place tomorrow from 3pm to 7pm at the University of Malta Valletta campus. For registrations, send an e-mail to lara.ellul@um.edu.mt.

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