Media owners join forces to form lobby group

A new lobby group of media owners has been set up to “protect and promote” the interests of its members.

The Association of Media Owners is represented by six media companies – Allied Newspapers owned by the Strickland Foundation, Media.Link owned by the Nationalist Party, MediaToday owned by Saviour Balzan and Roger Degiorgio, Sound Vision owned by the Labour Party, Standard Publications owned by several businesspersons, and Union Print owned by the General Workers’ Union.

In a statement on Friday, AMO said it is open to all those print and digital media organisations backed by a full-time newsroom of at least seven journalists and three media workers.

This is the first time that media owners have formally joined forces to form an official lobby group for print and digital media organisations. It marks a significant development for an industry that is facing several challenges of a domestic and global nature.

“AMO aims to ensure that any legislation enacted, or regulations issued by the government or authorities, will not endanger the prosperity or impair the welfare of its members and to promote, support or oppose, by creating a common front between the members, any legislative or other measures which affect the interests of the association and its members,” the statement read.

It also aims to protect the economic structure of print and digital media owners, their moral and material rights and interests, to ensure the advancement of “good quality journalism and hence solidifying the fundamental right of freedom of information”.

One of the aims of the association is to obtain and raise funding and other forms of financial assistance for the local print and digital media industry.

“AMO will aim to establish and maintain dialogue with governments, institutions, business organisations, international agencies and accredited experts, and to establish contacts, liaise and conclude agreements of cooperation with other similar institutions or associations,” the statement said.