PN hits out at ‘Labour-leaning’ public broadcasting board

The Nationalist Party has hit out at government’s appointment of a new board of directors at PBS, insisting the people have strong connections with the Labour Party.

The PN accused the government of missing an opportunity for “meaningful reform”.

In their statement circulated this afternoon, the PN said “changing persons on the board of PBS rather than reforming the system will serve no purpose other than to continue to ensure that PBS remains under the government’s control.”

Read also: New PBS board headed by media expert Prof. Carmen Sammut

“Appointing a board of directors clearly with a majority of persons hailing from strong connections with the Labour Party only continues to show how the Labour government is not interested at all in reforming PBS but only in retaining its grasp over the station,” MP Therese Comodini Cachia said.

She said PBS should ensure independence and impartiality among the media by limiting the use and control of public broadcasting by government, and fulfilling its public service obligations on current affairs and political controversies.

“We have already seen how under the guise of a circular issued by the Broadcasting Authority, the government has abused of PBS by usurping prime time for its own partisan political purposes and with the added benefit of not having to broadcast questions raised by journalists,” she said.

Last June, the Broadcasting Authority released a directive instructing PBS to censor questions by the press during press conferences. This was met with public outrage, with the Institute of Maltese Journalists accusing the BA of forcing PBS “into a State broadcaster similar to what one finds in totalitarian regimes.”