The Shift News
Description
The Shift News is a community-funded online news portal based in Malta. It is dedicated to investigative journalism and the defence of press freedom. It also serves as a platform for political, cultural and social commentary from civil society.
Its founders say Malta needed journalism that speaks truth to power, without fear or favour. They describe Malta’s media landscape as stifled by political interference and control. To protect its independence, The Shift refuses to accept funding or advertising from the government or from political parties. It says it is the only Maltese newsroom that publishes an annual financial statement detailing its funds and expenditure.
The Shift focuses on in-depth investigations and press freedom advocacy. It aims to shift a media landscape it says is dominated by political party ownership and government control of the public sphere. The organization says its independence and investigative reporting have been recognised by media partners including Reporters Without Borders and the International Press Institute.
It has also been recognised by the US Embassy, which gave The Shift its 2020 Award for Courage. The Financial Times’ Sifted named it one of the best European start-ups in 2021. Co-founder Caroline Muscat received Reporters Without Borders’ 2019 Press Freedom Prize for Independence.
Latest news
Minister axes Luke Dalli from TVM, citing ban on second jobs
Luke Dalli, the son of former Labour Minister Helena Dalli, has been removed as presenter of TVM’s discussion programme Bla Rispetti on the instructions of the minister responsible for PBS, Malcolm Paul Agius Galea, sources told The Shift. The programme has been handed to Paula Cauchi, a former...
26 Sep 2026
Passports Fund pulls €4.4m from health upgrades amid procurement scandal
Malta’s Passports Fund stopped financing a €10 million health-centre upgrade programme after concerns emerged about procurement, implementation and compliance with the funding agreement. The National Development and Social Fund (NDSF), which administers proceeds from Malta’s former...
25 Sep 2026
MMH deposits bond repayment funds, but rescue deal still awaits completion
Mediterranean Maritime Hub (MMH) is insisting that the funds needed to repay its €15 million bond have been deposited in escrow, marking a significant development for bondholders after months of uncertainty over whether the company could meet its October repayment deadline. But the rescue deal...
25 Sep 2026
MGA defends regulatory framework amid alleged €250 million gambling tax evasion
The Malta Gaming Authority has defended its regulatory framework following questions from The Shift about an investigation linking Maltese companies to Platincasino and an estimated €250 million in allegedly unpaid German gambling taxes. In its response, the authority challenged the general...
25 Sep 2026
Labour ordered out of €50 a month Valletta Republic Street club
The Labour Party and the local committee running its Valletta club have been ordered to vacate their Republic Street premises within 30 days, following a judgment that continued occupation would perpetuate a breach of the owners’ property rights. The Rent Regulation Board, presided over by...
24 Sep 2026
Minister Fearne’s secretariat in ‘total chaos’
Four months into his new role as Foreign Affairs Minister, Chris Fearne, still facing criminal proceedings over his alleged involvement in the hospitals concession scandal, is struggling to recruit competent staff, with insiders describing disarray within his secretariat and the running of his...
24 Sep 2026
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