President Muizzu to Hold Weekly Meetings With Journalists From March

President Mohamed Muizzu has announced that he will begin holding weekly meetings with journalists from March, saying regular engagement with the media is essential to sustaining peace and supporting national development.

In his Presidential Statement given today, Muizzu said he will meet journalists every morning from 10:00 am to 11:00 am once a week, except on days when he is travelling or when government holidays fall. He also said Cabinet ministers will begin meeting journalists on a weekly basis from March, although he did not specify a fixed day for those sessions.

Muizzu said a strong and independent media presence is vital to ensure social stability and continued progress, adding that access to truthful information is a public right. He said the government remains committed to strengthening the media sector and improving engagement between journalists and state institutions.

The President said the government has provided MVR 27 million in financial assistance to 40 media organisations to support their operations. He added that work is under way to establish a media village to ensure that media outlets can focus resources on journalism rather than high rental costs.

According to Muizzu, the first phase of the Hulhumalé media village will include 34 office spaces and is expected to open by mid-year.

Highlighting recent government engagement with the press, the President said ministers provided information to local and international media on 424 occasions, while officials from ministries shared information 493 times. He also said government institutions received 1,341 right to information requests, of which 1,251 — or 93 per cent — were answered. In addition, ministries published 40,846 posts on social media platforms, he said.