PN media launches offensive against independent media on divorce
... not over their editorial stands in favour of divorce, but because media reports question Catholic Church's teachings and reports on clergymen.
16 May 2011, 12:00am
Matthew Vella
Matthew Vella
3 min read
The Nationalist Party’s media house has launched an offensive against the independent media in the run-up to the 28 May referendum on divorce, accusing news organisations of “unprecedented imbalance” in their reports.
Media.Link is arguing that media houses have a right to their stands in favour of divorce, but it took the mantle of the Catholic Church when it said practically all the Maltese media was trying to discredit the institution’s teachings.
Yesterday, the PN’s Sunday weekly il-mument published a double-page spread featuring MaltaToday and Illum, The Malta Independent on Sunday, The Sunday Times, and Torca’s front pages, claiming they target the Catholic Church in an “orchestrated campaign to discredit it”.
Going by il-mument’s graphics, the newspapers are targeted for carrying interviews with critics such as Fr Colin Apap, and PN mayor Ian Castaldi Paris who criticised the efficiency of Church tribunals; the Independent’s and Torca’s reports on priests denying house blessings to people who vote ‘yes’ to divorce; and the Sunday Times’s report on Archbishop Paul Cremona addressing complaints on priests’ behaviour.
But while the title of the spread claims an 'unprecedented imbalance', this is not due to the reports on both sides of the divorce divide, but due to reports on the Catholic Church's teachings and its clergy. “Six Sunday newspapers out of seven had attacks of subtle reports that send the message that the Church is making an unjust or immoral pressure on its members…”
In one paragraph in bold type, the article (signed by ‘Special Correspondent’) reads: “According to the Maltese Constitution, the Roman Apostolic Catholic Church have the duty and right to teach which principles are good and bad…”
Both Mediatoday and Standard Publications, which publishes The Malta Independent, haven taken editorial stands in favour of divorce, while the PN-owned Media.Link communications are following the party line against divorce.
“We’re not writing this as a form of condemnation or censure but so that we lay it down for the record that those in favour of divorce have not been in any way disadvantaged… whatever happens in the referendum, there has never been such an imbalance in the media.”
The new twist in the PN’s anti-divorce campaign is a far cry from the inclusiveness of its 2003 campaign in favour of European Union accession – Eddie Fenech Adami’s reach-out to parties, NGOs, unions and employers was etched in a historic photo of leaders united in the quest for EU membership.
Media.Link’s line follows on from claims by Zwieg bla Divorzju of ‘discrimination’ by the Broadcasting Authority during its televised interviews from journalists, to be broadcast this week.
Zwieg bla Divorzju spokesperson Kevin Papargiorcopulo has refused to specifically name which journalists and media houses the anti-divorce lobby feels are biased in favour of divorce.
The Broadcasting Authority dismissed the claims of discrimination and said it “cannot subject itself to this sort of pressure by any movement.”
BA chief Pierre Cassar said the authority is carrying out its work with the greatest impartiality and transparency with the two movements involved in the referendum according to how it is expected to do by law, and is merely performing its duty according to the law.
Matthew Vella, a freelance journalist at MaltaToday, was formerly executive editor at Malt...
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Skuzi Mr,Miss jew Mrs Piccinino, b'gazzetta indipendenti inti x'tefhem,gazzetta li tigbed il-karru tal-gvern jew tal-Knisja ghax jekk ma taghmilx dan f'kollox u il-hin kollu ma tkunx indipendenti.
Tista tghidli il-partit nazzjonalista liema tip ta indipendenza offra lill-partitarji tieghu, meta hu bhala partit, ha pozizzjoni kontra id-devorzju u qal li se jhalli lill-membri parlamentari tieghu fil-liberta' sabiex jivvutaw kif iridu huma?
Ghax ma ghamilx li il-vot fil-parlament jittiehed b'mod sigriet halli ma jpoggi ebda membru miz-zewg nahat tal-kamra f'pozizzjoni li ma jkunx jista jivvota kif verament jixtieq,u ghalhekk jidher ikrah f'ghajnejn il-partitarji li ma jkunux jaqblu ma kif ikun ivvota? Jekk il-partit ikun ha pozizzjoni ufficjali, dak il membru li ma jkunx mexa mal-pozizzjoni tal-partit jidher li jkun ittradixxa lill-partit tieghu.
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Prosit medial.link urejtu kemm ma għandniex gazzetti indipendenti serji. Jekk indipendenti għandhom ma għandhom jieħdu pożizzjoni fuq xejn.
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@Gecko
In the eyes of the Catholic Church, ►all◄ marriages, between spouses of the same religion, or culture, are indissoluble, including Civil marriages.
The confusion arises in the case where at least one spouse is a Roman Catholic and whose marriage is performed outside the Church, and not validated in the Church.
In that case, if, that couple decides to end the marriage and the Catholic spouse would want to re-marry in Church, then the first marriage would be considered void, and there will be no need to seek an Annulment. What will happen is that a "Freedom to Marry" certificate will be issued.
For the curious, the first marriage is referred to as, "an attempted marriage union."
@Sunflower
The Church does not accept divorce!
In civilized countries, such as Canada where I live, the Church is bound by the Rule of Law, just like any ordinary citizen.
Only the State can declare the status of a citizen. In these countries, only a single person is allowed to marry (to another single person).
A single person is defined as, either never-before-married, or widowed, or divorced.
In the case such as the one I have mentioned to Gecko, it is the State that demands that the (Catholic) spouse must be declared single before re-marrying. And that spouse cannot be declared single until the State finalizes the Divorce.
It would be illegal for the Church to perform a marriage if one of the spouses is still legally married.
Sadly, as Mr. Azzopardi has pointed out, this debate is a return to the '60s. If it weren't so stupid and cruel, it would be hilarious!
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How sad that this whole issue is being turned into a la 1960's church issue again. Thechurch will never recover from this. The government could have prevented this by having a parlamentatian vote. Now, it's back to the old dark ages again. Pity Malta. I wonder how much foreigners out of Malta are looking at us on this whole matter.
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It is sad to learn that il moment has become a cross between a right wing version of Pravda and L'Osservatore Romano.
From the defender of democracy to a theocratic voice of the church.
I wonder if the special correspondent is a ZbD official because the tone is so similar.
Shame!!!
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Then the Church DOES accept divorce!!!!!!
Joseph Sant •
@ Sunflower - the short answer is yes! And the reason is simply - only a Christian marriage is indissoluble!
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So... Is it correct to say that a divorced person, who has not been married within the Catholic Church fold, may get married again under the Church auspices?
Adrian Busuttil •
...whereas, of course, Media.link is a paragon of balanced reporting.
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@Konstanty--
I don't know if you have noticed, but this is Malta, NOT Poland. WE don't really give a toss if the Poles "lamented" a divorce referendum. If you don't like what is happening here, sinmply GO BACK HOME. 'Byeeee!
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If someone in Poland dare to declare a referendum on divorce, it would be heard the same lament in the media.
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U come on... Get real !! Mux ovvja li practically all media is in favour of Divorce.. DIVORCE IS A CIVIL RIGHT, that's why!! Pretty obvious, no?? I really hope that newspapers keep pushing in favour of divorce. Like media helped Malta become an EU member, I really hope that once again, common sense prevails and Divorce referendum is won by the YES.
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Hear! Hear! B Aguis.
The truth is painful... but let us pass it on gently to those who have sincerity in their hearts and are still hanging on to the Church’s frayed rope currently hanging over an abyss of their own making.
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I dare say even clerics may choose to save themselves.
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Unbelievable PN cheek. They never complained when they had the independent media ALL in favour of the EU yes vote, obviously because it suited them well back then.
Finally they are now experiencing what it feels like to have most media against you. I expect the media to always back them. Those you were in favour of Malta being in the EU are now being consistent when they support the Yes vote.
By the way, where is Europe's super hero Dr Simon Busuttil? Come on, Simon write one of your famous articles on divorce and equal civil rights for ALL EU citizens.
Igor P. Shuvalov •
PN media should looked back at the election campaign before asserting “unprecedented imbalance” of the media. But of course as long as the media backs there party their is nothing to complain about. That was freedom of the press, but now that the tide has turned they are raising the question of 'imbalance', and want to keep the press from airing their opinion.
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I do not think that any "orchestrated campaign against the Church to descredit it" is needed at all in Malta. The Church as an institution, and its clergy are are already discredited enough in the eyes of many Maltese judging by what you hear around even by many elderly that the Church believes they've got them scared! The Maltese Church doesn't need too much help to get itself discredited - it does enough all by itself ad the Maltese, after eons of ignorance are beginning to see the game for what it is!
Micheal Bonanno •
And our dear PM had the gall that the divorce issue is not political!!! He must be joking!!!
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You will scratch my back and I will scratch yours.
This will come in handy for the PN at the next general election.The PN will certainly benefit from the church for their FORCINA that they are giving .
Joseph Sant •
As if the Church needs any adversaries! It's doing a splendid job all on it's own shooting itself in the foot thank you very much! As for the Medialink "newspapers" they insult the intelligence of even the village idiot!
Mario Pace •
Medialink should chech and also the local newspaper editors should check as well the following:
How is it that recently TVM in the newspaper analysis every morning the the programm BONGU, they aren't reading the newspapers as before, that is everyday alternating the newspapers.
But recently the analysis is done by reading The Times,The Independent, L-Orizzont and then In-Nazzjon Last.
Even when there are other newspapers publushed like Malta Today, they still end with in-Nazzjon.
This happens also every sunday when there are various newspapers published, but still the analysis finish with Il-Mument.
Is this a way so that they finish always with what the PN papers have to say...now that the referenum is near?
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Is Medialink suggesting that all Nationalist Party supporters be the leccaculi of the Curia, much as the PN leader has rendered the PN ?
Have they forgotten that its predecessor Il-Poplu was so in favour of Franco and the corrupt Spanish Church that they once headlined thei paper "Dhalna Madrid" ?
Are Medialink under the impression that all PN supporters approve of the party's stand against divorce ?
Are they not fathoming the depths to which the PN executive has taken the party ?
Do they approve of the attempt by various party members to turn Malta into a theocracy ?
