Decision to remove programmes ‘confirms PBS is controlled by Castille’ - PN

Nationalist MP Clyde Puli has lashed out at the government, accusing Castille of using the Public Broadcasting Services as a partisan tool.

In a statement issued on Monday afternoon, Puli argued that the decision to remove a number of shows confirmed how Castille was “using” PBS.

It was revealed that current affairs programme TimesTalk, presented by Times of Malta’s digital editor Herman Grech and journalist Mark Micallef, had been axed after two years; educational programme ‘Madwarna’ – hosted by Salvu Mallia – was also dropped from the autumn schedule.

“This is a direct attack on freedom of expression,” Puli said, who claimed that the two programmes were removed in a “revenge move” following criticism of the Panama Papers revelations.

Puli said that this was also an attack against The Times and the Malta Independent as both media houses will not have a discussion programme on national television.

He insisted that Castille’s “controlling arm” had now moved from the newsroom of TVM to the whole broadcasting services.