BA cannot enforce standards relating to TV presenters' off-air activity

In a letter it wrote to the Public Broadcasting Services today, it reminded the television station of the legal obligations incumbent upon the PBS head of news in adhering to the standards and practice that apply to news bulletins and current affairs.

The BA held two meetings to discuss complaints by Labour MP Gino Cauchi that current affairs programme Bondiplus presenter Lou Bondì was not in conformity with the BA code of practice that public broadcasting presenters should be seen to be political impartial.

The BA also wrote to PBS on 12 October "expressing concern over what seems to be a lack of adherence of some provisions" of the code of standards, and asked the station whether it took action on Labour’s complaints on Lou Bondì, on how it had addressed shortcomings on questions of impartiality, and what obligations are included in contracts signed between PBS and independent producers.

In its reply, PBS said that every programme it broadcast was in conformity with the law and that from time to time it issued presenters with guidelines.

The Broadcasting Authority however said articles 18 and 19 of the code of standards relating to presenters’ impartiality could not be enforced by the authority.

Labour MP Gino Cauchi asked the BA had to enforce section 19 of the Broadcasting Act’s subsidiary legislation on standards and practice [READ – opens PDF], which says PBS presenters must not do anything in their off-air activity that leads to any doubt about their objectivity on-air.

Referring to the Where’s Everybody production house, Cauchi said Labour had already complained to PBS chairman Joseph Mizzi, copying articles from WE director Lou Bondì’s personal blog in which he criticised Labour policies, MPs and the Opposition leader. He also said Bondì had declared himself publicly on Net TV that he would vote for the Nationalist Party, and that Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando had testified in court that WE director and Xarabank presenter Peppi Azzopardi had coached him in how to face down Alfred Sant during a Broadcasting Authority press conference.

The Public Broadcasting Services has stated it enforces the impartiality of its TV presenters as laid down in the code during elections. It noted that section 19 “is not enforceable” by the Broadcasting Authority but that TVM enforces it when there is some kind of election in the country.

“It is ironic that when Lou Bondì said he was in favour of divorce, Labour said nothing because Bondì’s position was congruent with Labour’s,” PBS had said in a statement.

“This concerted attack on popular TVM presenters Peppi Azzopardi, Lou Bondì and TVM news has nothing to do with balance in broadcasting but with audiences. We have improved audience share and attracting bette quality productions. These have a negative impact on competing TV stations who lose audience and advertising revenue, which PBS believes is the real reason for this harsh, orchestrated campaign.”