Reporting terrorism in Maltese media

Abstract

This dissertation looks at the reportage of terrorism in Maltese media. It takes the experience of November 2015 as a case study. Then security measures were in place in view of the Valletta Summit on Migration and the CHOGM, when Paris was hit by a number of simultaneous terror attacks. These events also coincided with ISIS advancement on Libyan territories. The study is based on empirical data from journalists working for Maltese newsorganisations. This dissertation reveals that because of a dearth of resources, Maltese journalists are constructing the terrorism narrative depending on foreign reports. It confirms that terrorism fits news values criteria and notions of proximity were deemed to be significant variables. Since the attacks were attributed to Muslim extremists, this study also explores journalists’ perceptions on stereotyped images about Islam. It probes journalistic responsibility to avoid reductionist perspectives that portray all Muslims as terrorists. Yet this dissertation also illustrates how the cut-throat competition and accelerated news via the new media are contributing to a scenario where journalists have limited opportunity to verify information, while key government sources and state institutions also have less time to deliver accurate information. A study of the Maltese context reveals how editorial policy and moreso the overwhelming influence of political polarisation impinges on the way international news, such as terrorism, is reported. This dissertation also illustrates that while Maltese journalists oppose the sanitization of terrorism news they still retain their gatekeeping role in the case of graphical footages.