Editor's Guild Maldives has called on to allocate part of the state media Public Service Media (PSM) budget provided by the government to other private media in the Maldives.

PSM receives upwards of MVR 100 million as a budget each year from the state.

In a statement released by the Editor's Guild on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, they noted that there was room for independent journalism in the Maldives although there were difficulties that hinder the progress of certain media.

The Guild noted that the biggest challenge of running an independent media is financial constraints, and the lack of financial freedom is one of the biggest issues.

They further noted that the media is responsible for bringing them verified news and holding the government accountable. The statement also highlighted that while political parties also receive funding through the state budget, it would further expand independent journalism in the Maldives if the media also received a budget similarly.

The Editor's Guild also stated that other than the financial constraints, the difficulty in finding information is yet another major hurdle in journalism and had called on the government to make it easier.