PN maintains pressure on PBS with weekly 'imbalance' report

Over the last seven days, more than 30% of TVM's reporting was dedicated to the government, while less than 15% was reserved for the Opposition, the Nationalist Party has claimed.

In its second weekly report that presents statistics on "imbalance" in political coverage by TVM, the PN accused the national broadcaster of being controlled by Prime Minister Robert Abela.

PN Deputy Leader David Agius said the government has turned PBS into a propaganda machine, in preparation for the general election, which according to Agius is only "weeks away".

He said the Broadcasting Authority has not reacted to their complaints but said that it is in the process of employing more people.

This is the second report in what appears to be a weekly initiative the PN will be taking.

As in last week’s press conference, Agius reiterated that the 8pm news is dominated by the Robert Abela and the "chosen" ministers like Miriam Dalli, Ian Borg and Byron Camilleri.

Agius lamented that the Opposition and PN leader Bernard Grech never gets live interviews or sound clips, but is only reported on, in contrast to the Prime Minister.

PN candidate Alessia Psaila Zammit stated that over the past seven days, government reporting was double that of the PN.

She said the PN has set up a dedicated legal team that is prepared to take any legal action necessary to safeguard the fundamental rights of access to information and freedom of expression.