Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was known for her investigations and reporting into government corruption and political scandals. She was assassinated because of it.

For her work as a journalist, Daphne was posthumously awarded the Tully Award for Free Speech. Her family came to Syracuse University to accept the award Tuesday on her behalf and to speak about the effect her reporting had on Malta.

“There was no fear in any part of her body,” said Daphne’s husband Peter during the event. “She was like a force of nature.”

In May 2017, one of Daphne’s sources approached her with an email exchange between Joseph Muscat, the Maltese prime minister, and Henley & Partners, a private business that sells Maltese passports. Lawsuits against Daphne had been piling up and she was beginning to wonder if a larger entity was responsible.

Her suspicions were confirmed by her source’s emails. In the exchange, the owner of Henley & Partners asked Muscat for approval of his plan to get rid of Daphne because she had been writing about them. Muscat agreed.

Accustomed to threats, Daphne took this evidence and published it on her blog, which she started in 2008. Throughout her 30-year writing career, Daphne, her husband and their three sons have received numerous threats, some more severe than others.

In 1996, the front door of their house was set on fire. In 2006, the entire house was set on fire. Three of their dogs were killed: One had its throat slit, one was shot and another was poisoned. One day a Maltese politician gathered a mob to chase Daphne down the street. There were weekly verbal threats and dozens of libel lawsuits.

Daphne, though, continued to write. In her last blog post on Oct. 16, 2017 at 2:35 p.m., she wrote: “There are crooks everywhere you look now. The situation is desperate.” About 30 minutes later, Daphne’s car exploded as she drove away from her home.

When speaking about his mother’s writing, her son Paul called it “path-breaking” and “transformative” during the Tully event. Daphne was the first woman in Malta to have an opinion column and the first political columnist to use their actual name with their stories.

Paul added that his mother also had an exceptional knowledge of how businesses worked, so she was able to make links between businesses and politicians, especially when it came to financial corruption.

Although Daphne went to school for archaeology, she never had the intention of doing anything other than writing. Her son, Matthew, said this scientific education gave Daphne an evidence-based approach to her journalism.

Freedom of speech meant everything to Daphne, her family said before the event Tuesday night.

“What she always said was that freedom of expression was the most basic of all the rights, and if you don’t have that, you have none of the others,” Matthew said.

Daphne’s family said they were honored Daphne was receiving the Tully Award for Free Speech because she does not get the same kind of recognition in Malta that she does internationally.

The future of journalism in Malta looks bleak at the moment, her family said. But Matthew added that he’s hopeful for change.

Peter said for the future of change in Malta, there needs to be a change in government, which is unlikely. But Matthew added that he’s hopeful Maltese people will not depend on their government for this change.

“People have the power to change things themselves,” Matthew said.

Published on April 3, 2018 at 10:01 pm

Contact Sara: smswann@syr.edu | @saramswann