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Former PBS chairman reinstated
Education ministry reinstates chairman over press ethics commission decision.
Joseph Mizzi has been reinstated as chairman of the Public Broadcasting Services, after a decision by the Press Ethics Commission that claimed a report on footage taken of Mizzi collapsing to the floor at the Eurovision Song Contest after-party was tantamount to character assassination.
The Press Ethics Commission found no breach of privacy in the airing of footage. Mizzi had denied being inebriated during his embarrassing display at the Eurovision after-party, and later claimed his unattended Coca-Cola had been spiked after the footage was aired on MaltaToday.com.mt.
The PEC said it found a breach of ethics against Mizzi, but still said that the general public had an interest in being informed of such episodes. It said the information given to Illum editor Julia Farrugia was published “before its accuracy had been diligently verified.”
The PEC said the story appearing in Illum under the title ‘Ic-Chairman tal-PBS patata’ gave the impression that the PBS chairman had been drinking excessively.
It also said that Mizzi had been contacted two days before publication without having seen the footage. The footage had actually been given to the Minister for Education, as the person responsible for the public broadcasting service.
The PEC also claimed the story discredited the comments given by Mizzi by asking him whether he felt his position as PBS chairman was tenable, given the contents of the footage.
This last observation led the PEC to find a breach of journalistic ethics for unethical behaviour and character assassination, claiming that the story aimed at attacking Mizzi in his public role as PBS chairman by attacking his reputation and not investigating the case enough.
The PEC passed a sanction of grave censure, and communicated its decision to the Institute of Maltese Journalists.
Joseph Mizzi’s version of events
Mizzi told the PEC that while in Dusseldorf, he attended a Eurovision after-party to meet up with members of the Azerbaijaini delegation. Mizzi, describing himself as a social drinker, said he had had two glasses of white wine and four shots of Jagermeister during the evening, before later getting a Coca-Cola.
He also claimed that he consumed chicken noodles and sushi which aggravated him slightly because he said he suffered from a weak spleen.
Although he had no doctors’ tests carried out on his condition, Mizzi told the PEC his doctor Frank Portelli ‘concluded’ that he must have been under the influence of Valium.
The PEC also noted that Mizzi temporarily strayed away from the Maltese delegation he was with, at which point the said amateur footage of him collapsing to the floor was shot.
Mizzi claimed he was “totally lost” although the PEC noted that in the footage he is seen responding clearly to a foreign guest asking him where he was from.
Mizzi also said he has reported the person who allegedly shot the footage, to the police for investigation.
Julia Farrugia’s version of events
Julia Farrugia reiterated the comments relayed to her by Mizzi, who was contacted for comment before publication of the news story, namely that he complained of having had a bug, that he felt he hadn’t drank any more than necessary, and that he was correctly reported as to what he had drank.
Mizzi confirmed that his comments were faithfully reported.
Farrugia said she supplied the footage to the education ministry (responsible for PBS) on Saturday 21 May, having received no official answer. Instead she received a telephone call from the singer Paul Giordimaina, who accompanied Mizzi to Dusseldorf to tell her that the footage did not “give the whole picture”.
Mediation attempt denied
Mediatoday was denied a mediation attempt with the former PBS chairman Joe Mizzi in an ethics complaint he filed with the Press Ethics Commission, because the commission felt there was “no useful scope for mediation.”
The request had been made by Illum editor Julia Farrugia, against whom Mizzi’s complaint was filed, saying the PEC had not adhered to clause 22 of its guidelines which states that the commission must “offer to the parties the possibility of acting as a mediator in order to reach between them an amicable settlement of the dispute.”
PEC chairman Dr Kevin Dingli claimed that this request had no “useful scope” and that both parties each had lawyers “of considerable experience”.
He also claimed in his decision that no mention was made of any mediation, when Farrugia had formally registered her complaint on clause 22 on 30 July 2011.
PEC member and Allied Newspapers columnist Claire Bonello also withdrew her vote when her presence on the committee was flagged as a possible conflict of interest due to comments she posted in favour of Mizzi’s predicament, on her Facebook wall.
The PEC said it was authorised to reveal Bonello had voted with the minority, against the alleged breach of ethics.
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Meta taqra kummenti daqshekk puerili, minn imhuh tipici tal-proletarjat, li fil-glorja tas-sapjenza taghhom jifhmu u jikkummentaw fuq kollox, u mohhom biex jaqghu fil-bassezzi ta' attakki personali fuq min ma jaqbilx maghhom, allura nifhem aktar kif dal-pajjiz ma jistax jiehu r-ruh, lanqas jekk nidhlu f'elf Unjoni.
Issa taraw kemm timbri se jtuni dawn in-nies ghax ghidt hekk. Se jassocjawni ma' xi partit, jghajruni b'xi haga li tigi f'mohhom, u jkomplu johorgu l-intolleranza li ghandhom. Fil-kaz tkomplu tikkonfermaw dak li qed nghid jien. Grazzi.
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@ fehma u vuci.....you either are not aware of the whole story or you prefer to bury parts of it. There is more to it than what you are trying to portray. You fail to mention for example the name of the crew who took the video; that the video was edited and some perts were apparently repeated to show that Mizzi fell more than once on the floor; that the filming crew did nothing to help Mizzi to his feet but kept on filming and this all in the interest of reportage. The voice of the man who was heard using foul language in Maltese was recognised and the man was identified, his name, profession and background are known to all and sundry despite that some local TV failed to mention any of this. I suggest to you that you visit some blogs written by people who are very much in the know to bring yourself up todate, before regurgitating the usual drivel.
Luke Camilleri •
L'unuka ETIKA f'dan il-pajjiz huwa illi jekk tkun tal-BLU u min ta' gewwa kollox jaghaddi !
Id-drink li hadu jew stordih mill Good Causes Fund thallas?
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While disapproving any form of character assassination by the media, I would say that the Press Ethics Commission should be fair and should equally investigate a few journalists of other English publications (and I'm not referring to your newspaper), who publish unverified information on which they base personal attacks and character assassination of persons whose honesty and integrity cannot be challenged. This is causing great difficulties for these persons and their families. These persons are encouraged to write to PEC for redress and to report these journalists and the editors of these publications who are blatantly abusing the right of freedom of information. This is affecting the credibility of local media. These journalists also have to explain how they get confidential information from certain sources especially on issues which are bound by official secrecy. It is time for the local Police to take this matter seriously and to start investigating abusive and illegal practices in journalism as these abuses do not only happen in the UK.
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@briffy
In all your PN propaganda, you seem to be oblivious to the fact that this island is burdened with 7 billion euros of debt in state & state entities incompetence.
With an area of 100 sq. miles one would think that 7 billion euros and all the yearly taxes collected from Maltese citizens and tourists, Maltese roads should be paved in gold.
How sad that your mentality cannot see past the political favors and collusion and corruption that keep this administration in power with constitutional twisting so that blue eues boys like yourself continue defending the hands that feed them.
In regards the PBS affair, once again the collusion and corruption of this administration has come to the fore.
The fact remains that the ILLUM reporter had absolutely nothing to do with what this moron did, when he was consuming his alcohol to excess.
Could the fact that the taped video might have been edited and handled better is debatable but as a journalist Julia Farrugia, working on the premise that the citizens have a right to know what kind of irresponsible morons their tax money is employing, then Julia has every right to report that disgusting behaviour.
To call the behaviour of a drunk who was on video, stumbling all over the place as character assasination proves how disrecpectful the journalistic ethic committee remains towards the Maltese mentality.
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Briffy, you are flogging a dead horse and being naive and juvenile in the process.. Politics are the art of the possible. National leaders do not have the luxury of picking and choosing who to deal with.
Get real - and try to live in the present, not 30 years ago.
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@ Alchemist.....So what? Is it of any importance who was the last Head of State to call on Gaddafi? ....you are forgetting one thing that Gaddafi was Libya and Libya was Gaddafi just as Malta was Mintoff and Mintoff was Malta in the 1970s and 80s Everybody knew that to do busineess with Libya one had to deal with Gaddafi, the same way that anybody who wanted to do busines in Malta used to visit Mintoff. Everybody knows thia including Sarkozy, Berlusconi, Gordon Brown, Tony Blair; but it's one thing going to deal with Gaddafi to do business and another to bring Gaddafi over to Malta for I don't know how many times, shower him with adulation, asking him to address socialist mass meetings as well as Parliament AND with all the Labour papers showing huge pictures of him on the front pages and middle pages, raising him to high heavens and showering him with praises. You are also forgetting that the dear leader made his debut in foreign visits by going to Gaddafi. That is humiliating for Malta, when everybody was shunning him except for the Heads of State who went to Tripoli per necessita' to rake in billions of dollars worth of contracts for their companies at home. If one does not distinguish between the two, then I'm afraid one does not differentiate between his proctodeum and his stomodeum.
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It seems to me, that this is a case of "shooting the messenger" - and consequently Malta will slide further down the ranking of countries by freedom.
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@briffi@maltanet.
Perhaps, you are conveniently forgetting the fact that it was Dr Gonzi to be the last dignitary to visit the dictator Colonel Gaddafi. And this was NOT in ancient history, which you so much love to remember us of, but this SAME year.
Or is it for you a matter of two weights and different measures.
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@ Toninu...kemm tiflah tghid hmerijiet. Xi gralu J Mizzi mhu ta' l-ebda importanza ghal hadd ahseb w ara ghal-pajjiz, l-anqas kieku kien JM jew xi ministru ma kien importanti li jissemma'. Forsi fil-bar ta' xi club plolitiku jew tal-banda tar-rahal kienu jitkellmu fuqu. L-PUNT huwa kif suppost gornalista li taf l-affarijiet taghha - vici kap tal-IMJ jekk ma tridx - xxandar viideo li l-anqas biss ma jigi mnehhi l-vuci ta' xi hadd mit-team li ha l-video bil-kliem baxx bil-Malti. Infatti dan il-bniedem jafu minu b'ismu b'kollox, fejn jahdem u l-background tieghu kollu. Zgur li l-iskop ma kienx hlif biex isir character assasination ta' Mizzi. Infatti il-PEC kkundanna dan l-agir b'sanction of grave censure u ghadda koppja tas-sanction lil-IMJ biex ttiehed azzjoni mill-Institute. Dak il-punt kollu.
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@ briffy
X'kul kedda qed tiehu habib. Hu kemm hu ragel sewwa ic-chairman tal PBS, dak li deher fuq il filmat jitkellem wahdu u ma jista jhassru hadd. Issa ghaddejin b'witch hunt biex issalbu lil gurnalista li kellha il guts taghmel xoghla. Issa qed tippretendu li meta gurnalist qabel jistampa storja jew juri xi filmat jigi javza lilkom ghal approvazzjoni?
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Lancet.....And when Labour are in government, will Malta start living in the 23rd century? Where would the progressive, liberal and all-inclusive movemnt take the Maltese after their long march? Will the movement hand out some red book, or some green book? Or some other little book based on the wisdom of the great leaders? And would this comprise the school curriculum so Maltese children would be educated on the same lines as the Libyans were educated during the Gaddafi era? After all, way back in the 1970s the Maltese were told that the Libyans were their blood brothers. Gaddafi used to be invited to address the socialists' mass meetings, Arabic was made a compulsory subject for students ( provided they got a sponsor and got the extra infamous TWENTY POINTS) wishing to enter the New University - the NEW centre of learning created by Mintoff that gave Elena Ciaocescu an Honoris Causa despite that Elena's Chemistry degrees were fake. Or perhaps the Maltese would be introduced to the Hoxa democratic model; after all, Mintoff had sent Wistin Abela to Albania to see how democracy was practised there. Or we might be tempted again to borrow from the wisdom of the dear leaders Kim il-Sung, or his son, or even his grandson. Not very far-fetched, after all AST has quite an experience in this field and can teach the Maltese a few things. We could even introduce something from the red book like massacring protesters on Tiamen Square; RC is well-versed in this regard and his wisdom can be quite useful. Anyway, we have to wait for the unveiling of the movement's manifesto - no doubt KV has already started working on it. Sure it will be kept under wraps lest some of the brilliant ideas would be copied and adopted by the present administration You say we are living in the middle ages so we have to move forward with the times. Only the liberal, progressive and all-inclusive movement can relieve the Maltese from their pathetic situation brought about by PN who have been in power for a quarter of a century. But, despite all the PN's despicable deeds, the Maltese have never had a better quality of life, Malta has never been so much respected in foreign forums, never have the Maltese held their heads so high, they never had so much luxury, there has never been so much peace and quiet in the country,there has never been so many cars on the road, never have the Maltese gone for holidays abroad and indulged in so much luxury, never have so many jobs been created.......No wonder that the PN would again be voted in for another term.
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Min Jasal li jiggustifika dak li ghamlet din il-gurnalista postu hu ma Gadafi
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Briffy non far ridere nessuno! The farce continues for the blue eyed circus. A pity that we are still in the middle ages here.
The fact remains that the Chairman, in his official capacity ridiculed our name!
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Justice has been done but the harm inflicted by the supposed journalist lives on. The PEC passed a sanction of grave censure and passed a copy to the Institute of Journalists no doubt for any action they may wish to take against the journalist. It doesn't say much for the newspaper if it is run by such people. But then of course Illum is Illum. Hopefully there will be some improvement in the way things are done, but then it all depends on the readership targeted by the paper. If the level of education of the readership is at rockbottom one can only feed them trash. However one would have thought that journalists are expected to inform as well as educate the public. But there again it all depends: as the Latins used to say" nemo dat quod non habet'.
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The camera never lie.
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Jobs for the blued eyed boys!
What character assassination? Do they know what this mean?
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Character assisination? Why? Isnt it true that it was him who made all that mess over the floor in a drunken state????...A nationalist protecting the mess of another nationalist...that's the truth!!!
