Second in our series on inspiring journalists. When social media is harangued by those who would have you believe all journalists are worthless and when those who report for establishment media outlets collude in perverting what is happening – it is important to remember and celebrate those journalists who were courageous and paid a very high price for holding the powerful to account.

Daphne Caruana Galizia

Daphne Anne Vella was born on 26 August 1964 in Sliema, Malta. She was a mature student at the University of Malta where she studied Archaeology and Anthropology.

At age 18 she was arrested at anti government protests.

By 1987 she was employed by The Sunday Times of Malta as a reporter.

Her investigation and exposure of corruption in Malta led to many acts of intimidation against her and death threats including: setting the door of her house on fire, slitting the throat of her pet dog,setting fire to her house, poisoning another pet dog and shooting  yet another.

Her investigations into corrupt practices and major Maltese politicians went to the very top with the publication on her blog ‘Running Commentary‘ of their involvement in the Panama Papers scandal in 2016.

On the afternoon of the 16th of October 2017 she was blown apart when the car she was driving exploded due to a car bomb.

Memorial to Daphne Caruana Galizia photo credit: Ethan Doyle White

Three men, paid killers,  brothers Alfred and George Degiorgio and their friend Vincent Muscat, were charged with having set off the bomb that killed Caruana Galizia. In November 2019 Yorgen Fenech, one of Malta’s richest men was charged with complicity to murder.

The European Parliament held a minute’s silence in honour of Caruana Galizia. The media room of the European Parliament in Strasbourg was named in her memory in November 2017.A portrait by Marie Louise Kold now hangs outside the press room.

Reporter: Fiona Grahame

Also in this series:

Ida B Wells