BA refutes claims of impartiality, slams undue ‘pressure’

The Broadcasting Authority was reacting to a letter sent to the BA by movement head Andre Camillier, who claimed that the anti-divorce lobby was being discriminated against in the BA’s choice of journalists for the official referendum press conferences.

In the BA’s letter, CEO Pierre Cassar said refuted the claims by Moviment Zwieg Bla Divorzju “that create the impression that the Broadcasting Authority is creating some sort of obstacles.”

“As you, and the representatives of the Moviment Zwieg Bla Divorzju, well know,” Cassar told Camilleri, “the Authority is carrying out its work with the greatest impartiality and transparency with the two movements involved in the referendum according to how it is expected to do by law, and is merely performing its duty according to the law.”

He said that “since the Authority is duty-bound to ensure that all matters of public policy are communicated to the public, it cannot subject itself to this sort of pressure by any movement.” He added that “the selection of journalists that take part in a press conference can never be considered as creating an imbalance.”

Cassar said that “the Authority is of the understand that, as has already been communicated to you, the selection of media for both press conferences in the referendum 2011 broadcasts is balanced and will proceed according to our original proposal.”

See both letters below.

Earlier, the Moviment Zwieg Bla Divorzju complained to the Broadcasting Authority accused it of discriminating against it in its choice of journalists’ panel.

In a statement issued on Friday, the anti-divorce lobby claimed that “two thirds of the media organisations chosen by the Broadcasting Authority to put questions to Moviment Zwieg Bla Divorzju representatives have a public position against divorce,” the movement said.

The anti-divorce camp said that on the other hand, the Broadcasting Authority “chose media organisations that only one third of which had taken a public position against divorce to ask questions during the Moviment Iva’s press conference."

The Moviment Zwieg Bla Divorzju said it is insisting with the BA to “operate in a just manner and perform its duty to ensure fair balance in the representatives of the media that take part in the press conferences.”

It added that it is expecting the Broadcasting Authority to take “immediate action on the contents of the letter.”

See both letters below.