Aqra bil-Malti
Gozo Today, a new ‘independent’ newspaper published by Saviour Balzan’s media house, which also publishes Malta Today, is being financed by the Gozo ministry, according to a contract obtained by The Shift through a Freedom of Information request.
In a complete departure from journalistic ethics, particularly when it comes to independent media, a contract drawn up between Balzan and the Gozo ministry shows that the private media house subjected itself to the authorisation and approval of the government before the publication of every newspaper’s edition.
According to the contract signed by Saviour Balzan and the Gozo ministry’s permanent secretary, “the beneficiary (Balzan) has to provide a copy of the newspaper before its publication for ministerial approval”.
A clause in the contract subjects Balzan to get ministerial approval before publication.
The contract specifies that the government will pay Balzan €7,800, excluding VAT, for 12 editions of Gozo Today, which consist of just three sheets of newsprint forming 12 pages of content.
Balzan retained the right to sell the newspaper commercially at €1 a copy at newsagents, on Gozo Channel vessels and fast-ferry catamarans, and to provide the Gozo ministry with 250 copies per week, free of charge. Newsagents told The Shift the newspaper was not selling.
The government also obliged Balzan to ensure that the Gozo ministry was present in the content of his ‘independent’ newspaper through a logo and weekly commentaries.
Balzan’s Gozo Today is his latest business venture aimed at milking State coffers. The contract specifies that Gozo Today will only be published during the three summer months, at the peak of the summer season.
During the last decade, Saviour Balzan has made a name for himself, siphoning public funds through government deals for his ‘journalism’.
His leading newspaper, Malta Today, survives mainly on government advertising and sponsored content. Despite his abysmal ratings, the State broadcaster continues to give him prime-time programmes, receiving tens of thousands per week, while other discussion programmes commanding larger audiences were axed.
Balzan also provides public relations consultancy for various ministries and government agencies through his companies.
Josef Goebbels come to life – 80 years later!
Balzan, the Labour puppet journalist.
So if the contents of the paper are subject to ministerial approval, how can it be independent?
South Korean and Hungarian media also consider themselves as independent media !
Fejnhom l-IGM??
Mela biex hargu jattakkaw is-segretarju tal Broadcasting Authority ok meta dan kif jafu tajjeb ma ghandux vot, imma fir rigward ta’ dan il HMIEG kollox sew.
Halqhom Maghluq!!
PROSIT PURCINELL BALZAN. Issa sejjah lilek innifsek gurnalist ta biex zgur tkun il-kummidjant tas-sena.
Is this even legal or up to EU rules? Can a ministry finance a private newspaper?? Isn’t this against competitivity? Can anyone shed some light on the legality of this?
Il huta minn rasa tinten . Ghawdex ftit li xejn johorgu nies li jibrillaw u Salvu ovvjament jemmen li hu indipendenti. . Ara vera jrid ikollok wiccek imcappas b tal warrani ta . U cert li mhux legali li ministeru jaghmel gazetta ! Fejn hu Robert, ghadu hemm jew le.
Funded by Gozo Minestra,,, Subject to scrutiny by Minestra prior to publication,,,,Independent my Arse!!!
your ass and mine are surely more independent. Pity is that they use public funds without anyone saying a whiff. Perm sec Gozo has a lot to answer for
Just acting as North Korean, Russian& Hungarian dictatorships in disguise. What a shame both for Salvu Balzan to accepting these terms and conditions, for the government and for the country as a whole.
Yes I have seen it, clearly it is a propaganda tool. One cannot comment.
Question; why is Gozo promoted in Malta when the Goziatans do not want the Maltese in Gozo?
Gozo Today must list the incompetence of the Gozo Ministry.
Some of them are:-
Government workers not doing their 40 hours job a week. Most of them not even a single hour a day;
Dirty and dusty roads and beaches all over Gozo and Comino;
Roads full of potholes;
Unsafe pedestrian pavements;
Unsafe ambience all over Gozo;
Bad management and disservice of the Gozo Channel;
Enforcement and accountability does not exist all over Gozo;
Road management does not exist in such a small island. Traffic always jammed.
The list is endless. Gozo is run by incompetent people.
Something else to line the cat litter tray with
Which begs the question; who asked him to write the opinion piece headed “Stop f’&ing defending Joseph Muscat”?
Balzan also has “Oh my Malta”, (ohmymalta.com.mt) an online ‘magazine’ funded by the tourism ministry. In fact, Oh my Malta was originally set up by Konrad Mizzi’s ministry in early 2019.
I see this as a good thing. Now we will not have to read any more boring rubbish and lies about corrupt construction developers or politicians in high office breaking bending and disregarding entirely the rules for various entities nor the articles about nepotism where positions, jobs and contracts are given to relatives and or friends who have no experience about the role they have been given, we need all our media to be monitored and approved by Malta’s very own Stasi
Probably the news-rag has ‘INDEPENDENT’ written in the header; in CAPS and in BOLD just like l-orizzont, it-torċa et al