According to Lovin Malta, the vigil was held as a show of solidarity with the Caruana Galizia family and with journalists across the country. The IĠM executive council laid a wreath at the foot of the monument.
Addressing those gathered, IĠM president Nicole Meilak said Caruana Galizia’s killing was “not only a brutal murder of a journalist but a direct attack on the public’s collective right to know”.
That remains the sharpest part of this kind of event. A vigil is quiet by design, but the argument made there was not vague or commemorative. Meilak’s point, as reported by Lovin Malta, was about what happens to the public when a journalist is killed: the damage is not confined to one newsroom or one family.
She also drew a line that should not be difficult to hold. Journalists, she said, can and should be scrutinised, and people are entitled to strongly disagree with how journalism is practised. But, she added, “when legitimate scrutiny turns into bullying, harassment and threats, we must condemn this behaviour.”
Lovin Malta also reported that the vigil came in the wake of Yorgen Fenech’s acquittal. Meilak said that when trust in institutions delivering justice is weakened, the role of the media becomes even more important.
“The true value of our work lies in publishing information that someone, somewhere, would prefer to remain hidden,” she said.
Members of the institute were also set to attend the 3pm vigil in Bidnija.
Sophia Borg 
Dua Mifsud 
Ryan C 
Harvey Jr.