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State TV’s objectivity ‘rapidly deteriorating’ – Zammit Dimech
Nationalist MP says PBS presenters have ‘responsibility of state TV’s impartiality’ on their shoulders.
14 November 2013, 12:00am
Miriam Dalli
Miriam Dalli
1 min read
The objectivity of the state TV was rapidly deteriorating, Nationalist MP Francis Zammit Dimech told parliament this evening.
Focusing his address on public media, Zammit Dimech said TVM was losing the impartiality and objectivity which had been built over the years.
"I cannot help but notice that a PBS journalist was being used as a voiceover in an advert of the Labour Party. PBS has become the voice of the government, with journalists asked to interview ministers in partisan political activities," he said.
Zammit Dimech said that even the change in the presenters of TVAM, TVM's flagship breakfast programme, had resulted in an imbalanced approach. Previously presented by Pierre Portelli and Joe Mifsud, TVAM is now hosted by Pablo Micallef and Norma Saliba.
He also criticsed the technical aspects of how news was being presented, with shots and cutaways "carried in a way to influence" the audience.
Zammit Dimech argued that a biased public media endangered a country's democracy.
"The citizens have a right to freedom of information, which is also about impartial and objective public media," he said, noting that a member of the PBS editorial board was a former news editor who had been found guilty of libel.
Zammit Dimech said that even in terms of competitiveness, the public would turn away from PBS seeking a more objective source of news.
"It is even more unacceptable today for the general public to be fed biased news. It is an insult to people's intelligence when presenters, reporters and whoever is responsible of PBS fails to adhere to the principles of fair reporting," he said.
Miriam Dalli joined MaltaToday.com.mt in 2010 becoming assistant editor f...
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Sure Mr Zammit Dimech......I believe you, and from now on I shall watch NET,,TV and read The Times of Malta and Nazjon only, disconnect the pro Labour BBC...CNN...RAI...National Geographic...The Discovery Channels...Eurosport ...Euronews, thrash my mobile...disconnect my internet..for fear of being contaminated by Joseph and his Laburisti
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Tal PN issa hadu kantalin imaqdru biss. Komplu sejjrin hekk ghax lil PL iktar issahuh u intihom iktar tazzu raskhom fir ramel. Ghejxu f'2013 u turux iktar hdura ghax inthom mohkomm tifirdu il poplu.
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Going through the above report one would not be blamed if one thinks that Dr Francis Zammit Dimech has just returned from the orbital space station after being there for quite a number of years. His criticism of how the PBS is being run is exactly how it was managed before March 8, 2013 biased and partial in favour of the PN. In fact it was labeled Net TV2. Dr Zammit Dimech must now bear to hear news reflecting both sides of the spectrum.
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PBS is full of ex Net journalists. One can see it in their body language when they are reporting their own party activity or Labour. So what is Dr Frnaces Zammit Dimech complaining about? Is it because the likes of Norman Vella -provoking Labour speakers- is nowhere to be seen except on the blogs of the Bidnija blogger?
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Sending a cat dressed as a lion on dissett did not help. The body language was so artificial and looked so staged that made me switch the tv off even though I usually like to watch political debates.
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Didn't hear Zammit Dimech complaining when PBS was the PN's private fiefdom.
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after 25years of pn-state wedding pbs,francis zammit dimech has finally woke up and removed the blinkers from his eyes and ears!has he forgotten lou,peppi,natalino,norman,joe etc etc etc etc etc
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ahna ahna hew mahniex..... mela il-pbs qatt xi darba kien imparzjali???? ibda min news sa programmi bhal bndi plus xarabank u tvhemm....jider li mux malta tghixu ghax kiku ra xarabank ta bhal lum gimgha tara kemm peppi azzopardi wera il-hdura tieghu lejn il-laburisti! jekk tridu programm kontra l-gven u fuq il-pn ghamluh fuq in-net! minghandu wiccu u mohhu f'postu jaf kemm il-pbs issa inbidel ghal ahjar!kummenti stupidi bhal dawn ta zammit dimech jaghmlu biss hsara lil PN u lil hadd iktar!
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When did PBS/TVM show any objectivity? It's just a toy that keeps getting snatched away either by PN or PL.
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Vera ma jafx jisthi dan: Bondi; Peppi u Norman vella kienu bilancjati: vera lejn SimonPN!
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Dr. Zammit Dimech għalhekk kulħadd qed jara n-Net TV għall aħbarijiet u fair reporting għax il-poplu issa li telqu Norman Vella, Lou Bondi u Pierre Portelli fost oħrajn, mill PBS allura spiċċa għall kollox l-unbiased' news u fair reporting.
id-daħħaqniex Sur Dimech
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"Dimech said TVM was losing the impartiality and objectivity which had been built over the years." These guys still think that the Maltese suffer from amnesia. PBS today is a breath of fresh air.
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PN hypocrisy and sheer nerve never fail to amaze me. Of all people, the PN is complaining about an "impartial" TVM. The previous presenters were a selection in PN zealots who twisted everything and everybody into an advantage for the PN. There's a Maltese saying, I believe, about a whore only giving you what she has?
