IGM slams media discrimination in PN leadership race

The Institute of Maltese Journalists (IGM) has called the latest measures imposed by the Nationalist Party’s electoral commission on the leadership race anti-democratic.

The IGM said the internal leadership rules continue to stifle journalistic work and restrict media freedom.

“The PN should instead create a framework that encourages debate and the free exchange of ideas by making it easier for journalists to do their work,” the IGM said.

The IGM’s comments follow new restrictions imposed by the PN on the leadership contest.

The latest edict bars leadership hopefuls Alex Borg and Adrian Delia from inviting journalists from the Labour Party’s media to their events. The issue came to light after Delia’s campaign team invited a journalist from ONE TV to a Q&A session with other reporters at one of Delia’s events. It was an attempt to work around rules that prevented both candidates from appearing in interviews on the Labour Party’s station.

Delia told MaltaToday on Friday that his team was seeking clarification from the PN’s electoral office and would withdraw the invite if it was found to be in breach of the rules.

But late on Friday the PN commission reminded candidates that any media invitations must be pre-approved. It also instructed them to avoid giving answers that may lead to "insults or name-calling" when responding to “provocative questions”, especially towards their rival.

The electoral body stressed that candidates must avoid “personal or controversial criticism that can lead to division within the Nationalist Party”. The rules aim to reduce internal conflict during this "delicate moment" for the party, the commission said.

Earlier rules issued at the start of the campaign had already barred the candidates from debating each other, restricted their media appearances to NET TV once the campaign officially began after the due diligence process, and required clearance for all interviews. They were even prohibited from mentioning each other publicly.

The IGM condemned these measures, saying they discriminate between media houses by allowing only “permitted media” to interview the two leadership contenders. It also criticised the commission’s attempt to influence the types of questions journalists are allowed to ask.

“If the Nationalist Party truly believes in the democratic values it says it upholds, it should allow the contestants to be interviewed by all the media, without distinction,” the IGM said. “All citizens, without distinction, have a right to hear their ideas, vision and stance on any subject.”
Both Delia and Borg are still undergoing a due diligence process. Only once they are cleared will they officially become candidates. PN members will then vote to choose the next party leader.