Dear Participants,
The
strengthening of democratic institutions and human rights, including media
freedom, is an objective of Malta’s Foreign Policy Strategy. Freedom of expression, freedom to hold
opinion and freedom of the media are a fundamental linchpin of a functional
democracy. This is why Malta has felt the need to launch a legislative reform that
includes significant changes to our Constitution. Through these proposed
amendments, the existing provisions on the protection of freedom of expression
will be enhanced, while freedom of the media will be enshrined as the fourth
pillar of democracy.
The challenges
facing media freedom are more complex than ever, resulting in significant
negative impacts on the media systems themselves and their function in society.
Allow me to focus on just a few of the manyfold
challenges.
The media
landscape itself has changed drastically with the online sphere having taken almost
completely over the traditional role played by TV, radio, and newspapers. This overtake has had an impact on the whole
setup and modus operandi of these media, including on their economic
sustainability. To survive they were forced to adapt to the new trends of
online consumption, having to shift not only their content but also their
business models. This is causing a serious existential crisis in the realm of
traditional media as revenues shift, and attitudes of consumers switch towards
digital sources often made available for free. As a result, a world with printed
newspapers as most of us have known might not exist for much longer. Pluralism,
so essential to ensure that societies are well-informed with facts, is indeed
in danger.
But the
challenges facing media freedoms are not only caused by the digital realm.
In recent years we have experienced a
growing global distrust and anti-media sentiment.
Journalists remain
targets of attacks, both online and offline.
The heinous murders of journalists in EU Member States, namely those of Daphne
Caruana Galizia in Malta, Jan Kuciak (and his partner) in Slovakia, Peter de
Vries in the Netherlands, and Giorgios Karaivaz in Greece are testimony of this.
Allow me to make
a little parenthesis here to underline that my country is committed to ensure
that ALL those involved in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia be brought to
justice. The three hitmen have already been convicted, while the alleged mastermind
is awaiting to stand trial by jury.
The danger
faced by journalists in their work takes another dimension in times of
conflict. In the past months we have seen unprecedented attacks and crackdowns
against journalists and media houses, caused by Russia’s war of aggression on
Ukraine. Unfortunately, scores of journalists have paid with their life.
And then
there is the scourge of mis and disinformation, the challenge upon which we
decided to focus our Conference.
Misinformation
and disinformation are not new phenomena. False and inaccurate information,
whether spread unintentionally or to manipulate, have always been present. But
the digitalization of information and civic space and the proliferation of
social media platforms have significantly shifted the paradigm. Mis- and
disinformation now spread faster than ever, cross borders, and target the most
vulnerable in our societies. While traditional journalism was governed in general
by a set of professional and ethical standards that put the public interest
first, the online world is driven by totally different objectives. The main
interest of many platforms is to keep us engaged only with a certain type of
content thus lowering the likelihood of exposure to pluralistic media content.
Take, for
example, the COVID-19 pandemic. This was not only the first global health
crisis of our time. It was the first ever of the digital era, and it brought
with it an unprecedented “infodemic”. We have all seen the spread of mass misconceptions
and conspiracy theories, which not only put people’s lives at risk but also instigated
hatred and divisions. Information was not scarce. But the proliferation of
false and misleading information, both online and offline, was the first global
test of society’s resilience to mis/disinformation. It also led to the wider acceptance that the
phenomenon exists and that the norms and goal posts have changed.
Digitalisation
and the resulting growth of the online realm also has had positive
repercussions, however.
The stimulation
of the digitalization of the civic space, has created more opportunities,
especially for the youth, to engage and reclaim agency with political issues. Youth has also been the driver of significant
social and political changes in the Euro-Med region and in the world.
This is why
we wanted to have youth as the main focus of this two-day discussion.
It was also
important for Malta to gather at this Conference youth from the wider Euro-Med
region, specifically those hailing from the OSCE Mediterranean Partner
countries. Due to its location, Malta has historically played the role of
bridge between Europe and the Mediterranean region. For us, there is no doubt
that our present and future are inextricably linked. Therefore, we want to
foster cooperation on common challenges and work together to find common
solutions.
I want to convey a very simple
message to all the young representatives participating.
You are actors
of change and have a role to play today. When it comes to the digital world,
you are undoubtedly the biggest users and significant contributors too through
the creation of content. I do not doubt that you all have experiences with mis-
and disinformation. We all have. Youth is diverse in genders, ages, cultures,
sexual orientations, and nationalities. Some of you might have suffered more
from hate and extremism fuelled by mis- and disinformation. But none of you is
or should be a passive target. I do not agree or believe that you are more
naïve or susceptible than the older generations. Myself, and those older than
me have undoubtedly more to learn from you on how to tackle this challenge,
than we have lessons to teach you.
What is
certain is that there is an urgent need to work together to improve our media
and information literacy. At the opening
of this Conference, anchor Alex Grech pondered on whether Media, Technology and
Education have been the culprits behind this disinformation conundrum. I tend
to agree more with his hypothesis that “Media, Technology and Education can get
us out of this mess”. Education and
media literacy will help improve skills, including social ones to empower us to
better navigate through the complex information and digital landscape, while
taking full advantage of the amazing opportunities of the media and digital
space. This is why I hope that we can
work together. We want to hear your ideas to face the information
challenges. Your experiences are valuable. And I am happy that there has been
general acquiescence on this, during yesterday’s debate.
Dear Participants,
I look
forward to reading your manifesto and the discussion that you will have later this
afternoon with the OSCE Representative on the Freedom of the Media, Ms Teresa
Ribeiro, and the Head of the Information Society Department of the Council of
Europe, Mr Patrick Penninckx. We are pleased to bring this two-day discussion
to a close with such an interactive exchange. The Office of the RFOM has
already carried out valuable work on the subject, and we are sure that her
Office and the Council of Europe will find the outcome of this discussion and
the perspective of the youth of our region valuable in their considerations.
This conference is
not the end of the process. We will keep on working with youth on these issues.
We will continue to listen to you. Because it is you that can instigate direct
change.