A new book on the role of the Maltese newspapers during the Second World War is expected to dispel long-held myths about the war and re-evaluate the role of newspaper-based propaganda.

Martin G. Debattista, a visiting senior lecturer in the Faculty of Media and Knowledge Sciences, has just published The Front Page on the Front Line – The Maltese Newspapers and the Second World War, (Midsea Books) providing an analysis of the active role of the Maltese newspapers during the most devastating war in history.

The book was launched on Saturday 11 June 2022 (the anniversary of the first Italian air raids on Malta in 1940) at Fort St. Elmo, with interventions from, amongst others, Pro Rector Prof Carmen Sammut and Prof William Zammit from the Department of Library, Information and Archive Sciences at MaKS.

Debattista shows how the branding of Italian armen as cowards for dropping their bombs in the sea, flying high to avoid the anti-aircraft fire and not engaging with RAF fighters as being largely an invention of wartime propaganda promoted by the Maltese newspapers, especially the Maltese-language il-Berqa. Although the long-held belief that the Times of Malta never failed an issue during the war is true, her sister paper il-Berqa did not miss an issue either and it had a wider circulation than the more-celebrated Times of Malta.

The book also confirms that the Maltese newspapers had no role in creating the myth of the Faith, Hope and Charity Gladiator fighters defending Malta against impossible odds at the start of the war.

“Though there is exhaustive research and several publications on Malta and the Second World War from a military or social point of view, the role of the local newspapers has been largely overlooked throughout the years,” commented the author. “My research started off as an undergraduate dissertation at the University of Malta in 1995 but has been significantly expanded over the years. It should fill a void in the history of Maltese media and journalism.”

The longest chapter examines the role of propaganda and newspapers. Despite it being wartime, the newspapers did not spare their criticism towards the availability of air raid shelters, the quality of food provided by the Victory Kitchens or where it was due.

The role of the Stricklandian Press, particularly Mabel Strickland, is also examined, and the book demonstrated the role of some key female figures in the editorial and commercial running of Allied Newspapers Ltd. Other topics include the end of the Italian-language press, the rise of the left-wing press towards the end of the war, the role of the government’s Information Office, and the struggles for newspapers to keep published in the face of severe shortages of raw materials and under constant air attacks.