BA insists on lack of impartiality during Xarabank interview

The Broadcasting Authority said it has never changed its method of analysing balance and impartiality, and that its assessment is always carried out on a series of programmes and not over one programme.

The BA was reacting to a statement issued yesterday by PBS, after the national TV station registered its disagreement with two BA decisions that gave Labour leader Joseph Muscat a right of reply of 15 minutes on Xarabank, and a 10-minute reply for the Nationalist party on next Tuesday's Bondiplus.

"The PBS not only disagrees with these two decisions, but sees them as a step back for our country's broadcasting as well as an attack on the station's editorial independence," the station had said, adding that "the authority has to go back to the practice established over the past years and starts measuring balance and impartiality over the entire schedule of the station".

In its reaction, the authority said: "PBS's allegations are incorrect. The BA has never changed its assessing methodology and PBS knows this very well through a number of decisions taken recently in which the same station was proven right."

Referring to the 15 minutes right of reply given to Muscat on Xarabank, the BA said presenter Peppi Azzopardi failed to comply with the Broadcasting Law which asks for consideration "of impartiality on a number of programmes and not on one".

The authority said provisions stipulate that the presenter should present the audience with enough information on who would taking be part in future programmes as to ascertain balance. "At no stage did the presenter mention the Opposition leader as one of his future guests, but simply referred to the participation of 'protagonists on the matter'," the BA said.

The Authority reaffirmed its policy to safeguard the right of opinion and the editorial independence of PBS. It also reaffirmed its obligation as a regulator which assured that impartiality is upheld.

"[We] are determined to continue insisting that balance and impartiality are upheld in all programmes, especially those aired on public stations and which tackle political, industrial, or current issues."