The Maltese media coverage of the 2022 national and 2024 European Parliament elections

Abstract

This thesis examines how Maltese media framed the 2022 national election and the 2024 European Parliament election, with a particular focus on the portrayal of the European Union and whether the EP elections in Malta reflect second-order election dynamics. Despite Malta’s highly mediatised and politically parallel media environment, scholarly attention to the comparative framing of national and European elections remains limited. This study addresses this gap by analysing 61 news articles published during the three months before each election across three outlets representing distinct editorial orientations: One News (Labour Party), Net News (Nationalist Party) and Times of Malta (independent). Using qualitative content analysis guided by framing theory, the study identifies key patterns in value, conflict, issue, narrative, personalisation and emphasis framing. The findings reveal significant differences in how the two election types were represented. Partisan outlets domesticated both elections, but with different emphases: One News framed the EU as a cooperative partner validating Labour’s achievements, while Net News portrayed the EU as a moral authority through which the Nationalist Party could “restore” Malta’s reputation. By contrast, Times of Malta adopted a balanced, issue-oriented approach, offering factual and contextualised reporting with limited emotional or partisan framing. Across outlets, the 2024 EP elections were consistently framed as less consequential, receiving reduced interpretative depth and lower issue salience than the 2022 national election. Overall, the study provides new empirical insight into Maltese political communication, revealing how media framing reinforces national priorities while shaping public perceptions of the EU.