PBS says PL complaints unfounded, more Labour officials invited to TVAM

The Public Broadcasting Services has accused Labour of manipulating a decision by the Broadcasting Authority, reminding the national broadcaster to ensure political impartiality in all its programmes.

The Broadcasting Authority wrote to the Public Broadcasting Services reminding it to ensure it provides ample representation of political opinions on controversial issues, after the Labour party filed a complaint over TVM's breakfast show TVAM.

The BA said two particular editions of TVAM, dealing with the censure motion against former minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici, and with the political repercussions of the vote, "some controversial comments were made that merited the presentation of contrasting opinions."

The BA also noted that "generally" there was a balanced representation of political parties on TVAM over the course of its broadcasts.

"PBS insists TVAM is following current affairs... nobody can say there was an imbalance in any programme because broadcasting law itself states that impartiality must be based on an entire series of programmes," the national broadcaster said in a statement.

The complaint by Labour's communications chief Kurt Farrugia claimed that in one edition, the choice of RTK journalist Karl Wright and Malta Independent journalist Keith Micallef put the PL at a disadvantage, and that the TVAM producers did not make any reference to the Opposition's position on the motion it filed against Mifsud Bonnici in parliament.

In a subsequent edition, Farrugia argued that constitutional lawyer Austin Bencini's observations on the ramifications of the vote against Mifsud Bonnici "included comments that were political and imbalanced."

But PBS said that TVAM followed the parliamentary sittings of some two months over 11 programmes, with eight representatives from Labour and six from the PN, as well as five opinionists, two from party media, two from independent media, and constitutionalist Austin Bencini. "Labour has complained about what was said by the independent journalists and the constitutional lawyer."

In the complaint, PL communications chief Kurt Farrugia said it was not necessary to invite Labour party officials only for a balanced representation of opinions, but said there were various other academics or experts to offer differing viewpoints on the constitutional aspect of the vote and other parliamentary developments.

On its part, PBS through its head of news Natalino Fenech said both Wright and Micallef hailed from independent media houses, and that their comments were made in the light of a developing political situation. "At no point were viewers misled since it was clear that TVM was following the situation as it developed."

Fenech also said that although Labour considered Austin Bencini's contribution as one borne out of Nationalist sympathies, "his intervention was an analytical one, having referred to procedures in Constitutional law, and his comments were academic."

The BA resolved to remind PBS of its obligation to ensure all opinions from the political spectrum are represented, with a view to respect its Constitutional obligation for impartiality.

In a statement this week, the Labour party insisted the BA had proved its complaints were well-founded.