Journalists from newsrooms across Malta gathered in front of the Great Siege Monument in Valletta on Friday morning for a vigil marking the ninth anniversary of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination.Organised by the Institute of Maltese Journalists, IĠM, the vigil was held as a show of solidarity with the Caruana Galizia family and with journalists across the country.Addressing those gathered, IĠM President Nicole Meilak said Caruana Galizia’s killing was “not only a brutal murder of a journalist but a direct attack on the public’s collective right to know”. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lovin Malta (@lovinmalta)She stressed that while journalists and their work can and should be scrutinised, harassment, bullying and threats should never be accepted.“Everyone has every right to scrutinise our work and to express strong disagreement with how we practise journalism,” Meilak said. “But when legitimate scrutiny turns into bullying, harassment and threats, we must condemn this behaviour.”The vigil also came in the wake of Yorgen Fenech’s acquittal, with Meilak saying that when trust in institutions delivering justice is weakened, the role of the media becomes even more important.“The true value of our work lies in publishing information that someone, somewhere, would prefer to remain hidden,” she said.The IĠM executive council also laid a wreath at the foot of the monument.Members of the institute will also attend the 3pm vigil in Bidnija.Photo Credits: Miguela Xuereb•