Hi, I’m Belle!

I’m an independent investigative journalist in Malta, a tiny European island between Italy and Tunisia. Apart from my investigative writing, I am a leading editor at The European Correspondent and a mental health advocate. Covering social and international affairs, the stories I write bridge the gap between complex issues and their significance in our daily lives.

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Personal to public

Writing has been my coping mechanism since I first saw a psychologist at 13. I was depressed and refused to speak to anyone, mostly because I figured they wouldn’t be able to help me anyway. The first psychologist didn’t get a word out of me either, so she suggested I started journalling. That was the dumbest idea I had ever heard, I thought to myself, but I did it anyway.

Since then, writing has been my lifeline. I became the editor of our high school yearbook, started a blog about my life abroad at 17, and continued writing journalistically for national and international news outlets. A major breakthrough in my early career was my Nellie Bly-style exposée of Malta’s infamous psychiatric hospital Mount Carmel, which caused a storm of national attention and public debate, followed by the opening of a new ward. I advocate for abortion rights in Malta, which has one of the world’s strictest abortion laws, after I spoke about my abortion on national TV.

My journalism journey was far from accidental. I moved to Malta in September 2017 to start my Bachelor in Communication Studies and International Relations. It was only three weeks after I boarded my flight across the continent that investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated. Shocked, not only by the incident itself but also by the starkly contrasting responses to it, I pursued what I already knew I wanted to do: writing for a better world.

In 2019, I covered the national protests regarding Daphne for Dutch media and I participated in projects focussing on democracy, press freedom and investigative journalism over the years. After graduating, I joined Malta’s biggest online newsroom as a journalist and audiovisual presenter.

I’ve been around: apart from this little rock I call home, I’ve lived in Melbourne, Lyon and Brussels. I spend a lot of time underwater as a divemaster, from the Philippines to the bay in front of my flat. Whenever I’m not in the Mediterranean or typing away on my terrace, you can find me outside with my rescue dog Sir Godwin.

With a Master’s in European Journalism and extensive experience at the European Parliament in both Brussels and Malta, my focus now lies on connecting Malta to Europe and the other way around. Stories are waiting to be told; someone just needs to tell them.

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I’ve built a beautiful community of people just like you, interested in what’s happening in the world while also wondering how to navigate our own waters. There’s a lot to it, that’s why we’re in it together.

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