´óÏó´«Ã½

Many of Malta's newspapers and broadcasters have strong political affiliations. Dailies and weeklies appear in Maltese and English.

The media are generally free and diverse, though state-owned media favour the government. Maltese journalists face harassment and libel accusations.

Journalists, especially those investigating corruption, face physical dangers - the most notable example being the murder of investigative reporter Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Maltese radio began in the mid-1930s, partly to counter fascist propaganda broadcasts from Italy. Malta Television launched in 1962, five years after the islanders started receiving TV signals from Italy. Italian channels remain popular.

The first private broadcasting licences were granted to the two major political parties and the Catholic Church. More stations followed and there is now a proliferation of privately-run radio stations and several TV channels.

Cable and satellite TV are widely watched.

There were 389,000 internet users by December 2021, comprising 88% of the population (Internetworldstats.com).