PR man Naudi feels the heat of the press

One main question the press wants to ask Malcolm Naudi, the chairman of the Institute of Maltese Journalists, is whether he intends to run for the IGM’s chairmanship again.

Naudi’s position came under heavy fire in recent weeks after two separate incidents endangered the tenability of his role as a public relations executive, who should be flying the flag of journalistic freedom at the same time

Naudi, long-serving head of the IGM, today runs his own public relations company – Malcolm J. Naudi Communications – since he left Allied Newspapers. His list of clients, which include G4S and the Bay View Hotel in Gzira, were recently in the news and tested Naudi’s conflict as he tries hard to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds.

MaltaToday contacted newspaper editors for their take on events when Times of Malta photographer was manhandled by G4S security staff while capturing footage of a vehicle catching on fire in the Mater Dei underground car park.

That day, the IGM issued a statement condemning the behavior of the security officials, whilst backing the photographer.

However, two days later, MJN Communications issued a statement on behalf of G4S Security Services, defending the action taken by the hospital officials, whilst placing the blame on the photographer. The conflicting statements, both issued in part on behalf of Malcolm Naudi, caused an uproar within the media community with calls for his resignation even reaching the social media.

Asked whether Malcolm Naudi’s role as IGM president was no longer tenable, The Malta Independent online editor, Stephen Calleja said: “Yes, I believe so. The role should be occupied by someone who works in the journalistic field. It was not right at all that the Institute issued a statement defending the journalist only for Naudi’s company to later defend the opposing side of the argument,” he said.

Only the next day after the G4S incident, Naudi was embroiled in yet another media ‘controversy’ when his PR company requested that media outlets refrain from mentioning by name the hotel from where a German tourist fell to his death. In this second instance, Naudi was accused of allowing his PR links to override a very basic element in journalism: freedom of expression.

Calleja said that he was never a member of the ‘press club’, claiming that he found little defence of journalists from the IGM. “Why should the IGM be run by a group of people who are not actually journalists?” he says. “If the Institute hopes to continue existing, it would certainly need an overhaul.”

Editor-in-chief at The Sunday Times, Steve Mallia, seconded this claim. “There is no place for PR men in the IGM,” he said. “Although it is an unfortunate fact that no working journalists in Malta, and this includes ourselves, have not taken it upon themselves to run the organisation that is supposed to represent us. I hope this will change very soon.”

Mallia said that, back in 2011, the STOM expressed its disappointment that “the organisation that purports to represent journalists is devoid of them” and remarked how some of the Institute’s members “work in an industry that conflicts with true journalism.”

“I believe that Naudi should not have sought re-election as IGM chairman once he took on a PR post and recent events show why,” he said. “His position is clearly untenable and it is farcical for the IGM to state otherwise.”

MaltaToday managing editor Saviour Balzan was also equivocal about Naudi’s position. “It’s a schizophrenic role to hold: protecting the interests of paying clients, against the interests of media workers who work for the anonymous public. Naudi knows his role is untenable.”

However, L-Orizzont editor Josef Caruana was more sympathetic for Naudi’s cause, claiming that the role was one which required a lot of dedication. “The job is a voluntary one and should be appreciated,” he said.

“He should not be discouraged in continuing. The company pays him to do his job and, ultimately, he has a right to defend his clients,” he said. “After all, everyone has a right to make a living.”

Caruana said that had the IGM not issued its initial statement in defence of the photographer, things could have been much worse for Naudi. “One can argue that he may not be the fittest person for the role with his PR post. But I think he did well in creating a distinction between the two.”

On his part, Naudi has already said he does not intend to resign from the IGM. “The Council have informed me that they have confirmed their full confidence in me as Chairman after discussing the case.”