1st Edition
The Construction of News in a Polarised State Maltese Advocacy Journalism
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1 Introduction
1. Introduction
2. Structure and layout
Chapter 2 Determining what is news
2.1 Introduction
2.2 News and the construction of reality
2.3 Identifying the media system
2.4 The issue of size
2.5 Conclusions
Chapter 3 The roots of a polarised media system
3.1 Introduction
3.2 The political context
3.3 Historical roots of Maltese media
3.4 Contextualising journalism in present-day Malta
3.5 Media in present-day Malta
3.6 Comparative media usage
3.7 Electoral campaigning
3.8 Conclusions
Chapter 4 Being an outsider: Malta Today
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Ownership of Malta Today
4.3 Organisational structure and routines
4.4 The Culture of Malta Today
4.5 External pressures
4.6 Malta Today coverage of the 2017 electoral campaign
4.7 Conclusions
Chapter 5 TVM, the public’s news service
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Ownership and historical positioning
5.3 Organisation structure and routines
5.4 Culture and boundaries
5.5 External pressures (commercial and political)
5.6 TVM coverage of the 2017 electoral campaign
5.7 Conclusions
Chapter 6 Times of Malta
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Ownership and historical positioning
6.3 Organisation structure and routines
6.4 Culture
6.5 Times of Malta Coverage of the 2017 Electoral Campaign
6.6 Conclusions
Chapter 7 Conclusion: The construction of news in a polarised state
7.1 Polarisation and advocacy
7.2 A different perspective of pluralism
7.3 Proximity and scale
7.4 Journalist agency
7.5 Conclusions: and weaknesses of the Maltese media system
Appendices
Appendix 1 Disclosure of the position of the researcher
Biography
Adrian Hillman has extensive experience of leading media operations, having previously worked as executive director of Allied Newspapers and managing director of Allied Group of Companies. He worked as a consultant to the Maltese Government leading up to the EU pre-accession referendum and has assisted governments, companies, and organisations around the world as an associate partner of a geopolitical consultancy firm. He completed his PhD in news construction and political communication at Goldsmiths College University of London, UK, in 2021.
