Bondì guilty of character assassination

The Press Ethics Commission has found broadcaster Lou Bondì guilty of unethical behaviour and the character assassination of Illum editor Julia Farrugia, over the contents of a blog in which he gloated over the PEC's own judgement against Farrugia by launching a personal attack against her. Julia Farrugia's case in front of the commission was made by Media Today's legal advisor Dr Toni Abela.

The PEC said it was sanctioning Bondì with a grave censure, after the Bondiplus presenter engaged in the unwarranted denigration of Farrugia and her father.

The PEC said Bondì had employed an "insidious and clear innuendo" by alleging that Farrugia could somehow recognise the people involved in the 1986 murder of Raymond Caruana, which remains unsolved to this day.

"Bondì breached the journalistic code of ethics when he engaged in a personal attack against Farrugia; on one hand by suggesting she was in possession of some incriminating photos or footage of somebody, with a direct insinuation to her father, that she could recognise and that she was therefore hindering justice in the Caruana case; as well as by victimising her as the daughter of a violent if not criminal father - even if this was true, which it isn't because it is an allegation referred to in a blog entry by Daphne Caruana Galizia, this was in no way relevant to Julia Farrugia's life."

Farrugia's father has been previously questioned in the Raymond Caruana case, after being named in a court testimony by Labour thug Gianni Psaila 'il-Pupa', an allegation which has never been corroborated or proven.

The commission said Farrugia could not be held accountable for her kin's actions, least of all being dubbed "a thug's daughter" when her father has never been accused of the murder of Caruana.

Bondì was also found to have emphasised Farrugia's character assassination by creating a cascading effect and linking his blog to a similar entry by Independent columnist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Bondì's blog was penned shortly after the PEC had found Farrugia guilty of the character assassination of PBS chairman Joe Mizzi. The PEC said the story appearing in Illum under the title 'Ic-Chairman tal-PBS patata', which referred to footage that caught the former PBS chairman Joe Mizzi collapsing to the floor at a Eurovision after-party in Dusseldorf, gave the impression that the PBS chairman had been drinking excessively.

Mizzi, who denied having been inebriated during his embarrassing display at the Eurovision after-party, claimed he had been the victim of a character assassination after the footage was aired on MaltaToday.com.mt.