Why are women’s voices being censored in Maltese media?

Freedom of choice, freedom of speech, and autonomy over one’s body – these are fundamental aspects of modern philosophy, sociology, psychology, politics, and democracy.

So why is it that in 2017, these very tenements tenets are being given to some, yet refused to others? Why does it appear that in the Maltese media these rights are only bestowed upon you if you happen to agree with the agenda of the person moderating moderator?

Let me start by referencing an infamous article published on a national news website on Tuesday 7 February. It addressed the recent petition started by members of the Maltese public which calls for a balanced approach regarding the teaching of ethics and morality in schools. This article proceeded to lambast the creator and signatories and insinuated that the so-called moral decline of Maltese society started with the legalisation of gay marriage and the introduction of the Civil Unions Act. At this point I felt the bile rising into my throat and decided it was not worth wasting any more time reading this diatribe of hate from an editorial with no author credited, and I did what most people do with articles of a contentious nature – skip to the comments. Now it wasn’t so much the content of this article which irked me (which it really did), nor was it the hateful, bigoted public commentary that accompanied it, but rather it was the observation that almost all of those taking such a passionate stance in the comments section were men.

Why is it that accompanying every article or post about women’s rights, sexual health, or reproductive functions is a cacophony of men labelling us loose, immoral, irresponsible, or telling us to keep our legs shut? On a daily basis, we are called murderers, tyrants, militants, and traitors to our sex because we dare to say that an individual should have the freedom to de- cide what happens in their life. I cannot understand why these people feel the need to dictate to anyone what they should do; nor can I reconcile the fact that someone can be so full of hatred without ever having walked a mile in my, or any other, woman’s shoes.

Over the last few years, Malta has seen enormous socio-political development in terms of equality, LBTGQ rights, and social mobility. Changes in regulatory frameworks and law have brought a once sluggish and stagnant society, kicking, and screaming into the 21st century so much so that Malta now finds itself at the forefront of European equality rights. While healthy debate should be encouraged and nurtured, and the popularity of social media and online communities provides the public with an instant, flexible platform in which to do so, it seems that political agendas and discrimination is being exercised daily to the detriment of a more liberal commentary.

The problem I am referring to is the systematic silencing of women’s voices across media outlets comment sections and social media pages. For it is not only the commentators that are silencing us with threats of violence, threats to smear our names, ruin our careers, and damn us to hell for all eternity, it is the upper echelons of the media in this country that are holding the reins and stoking an already smouldering fire.

To give you an idea of just how common this practice is, let me tell you about a thread I stumbled across on the Women for Women Facebook group earlier this week. I was both amazed and sickened to see multiple posts from women all recanting the same story that their comments on a local news website and Facebook page are being refused and deleted with no expla- with calm, reason, and fact, my comments are never accepted.

This makes us look weak, it makes us look like we have no retort or response, and it makes us look like we cannot substantiate our points when in fact we can, and often in a more articulate and well-reasoned manner than some on the other side of the fence. By frequently not letting us respond to such comments and debates with scientific fact, proven statistics, and information from respected studies, it constitutes a systematic attack on the free speech of women in Malta.

Why are men being allowed to run reason and retort into the ground ??? and why are respected media institutions helping them to do so?

I can cope with derogatory comments online, being hacked, being slurred, and being personally targeted, but what I cannot cope with is the mainstream media refusing factual, well-reasoned comments from women in favour of abuse. When questioned on this issue several months ago, via telephone, the publication in question denied any deliberate censorship and stated that all comments must be done so under a real, full name and must be free from any abusive content. So why is it that women who abide by these rules have their comments unauthorised in favour of misogynistic insults from aggressive male posters, fake profiles, fake names, and aliases?

This type of manipulation is a personal attack on every individual who believes in free speech, and yes, while I am aware that each publication has its own political agenda, and I respect the right to moderation, it saddens me that local women are being silenced en masse for the sole reason of subversively supporting political dogma.