As usual, Labour was after a headline, not correctness or the facts

Former Xandir Malta reporter, former Super One reporter and former Broadcasting Authority (during the Labour government of the 1990s) man Gino Cauchi faced the press this afternoon and recited a piece of legislation which, he claims, makes it incumbent on the Broadcasting Authority to proceed against PBS for not proceeding against Lou Bondi and Joe Azzopardi.

I wasn’t there, so I can’t tell you whether he handed out copies of the relevant legal notice, or whether he just read out the bits it paid the Labour Party to read out, while leaving out the bits that….not so much.

But I hope those reporters get hold of by tomorrow the legislation they failed to read today before rushing to the internet with their reports of what Gino Cauchi said (without putting it in the context of Gino Cauchi’s professional history in television newsrooms).

So, this is the legislation:

REQUIREMENTS AS TO STANDARDS AND PRACTICE APPLICABLE TO NEWS BULLETINS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS PROGRAMMES [S.L.350.14 1
SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 350.14
17th October, 2008
GOVERNMENT NOTICE 896 of 2008.

——

These are the bits that Mr Cauchi read out:

SECTION 18
Impartiality of the Public Service Broadcaster

18. Impartiality of the Public Service Broadcaster

18.1 Producers of news and current affairs programmes should have no outside interests or commitments which could damage the public service broadcaster’s reputation for impartiality, fairness and integrity.

SECTION 19
Presenters and Reporters primarily associated with the Public Service Broadcaster

19. Presenters and Reporters primarily associated with the Public Service Broadcaster

19.1 Those known to the public primarily as presenters of, or reporters on, news programmes or programmes about current affairs broadcast on the public service broadcaster must be seen to be impartial. It is important that no off-air activity, including writing, the giving of interviews or the making of speeches, leads to any doubt about their objectivity on-air. If such presenters or reporters publicly express personal views off-air on controversial issues, then their on-air role may be severely compromised.

It is crucial that in both their work with the public service broadcaster and in other non-public service broadcasting activities such as writing, speaking or giving interviews, they do not:

i. state how they vote or express support for any political party;

ii. express views for or against any policy which is a matter of current party political debate;

iii. advocate any particular position on an issue of current public controversy or debate;

iv. exhort a change in high profile public policy.

And this is the all-important bit that he did NOT read out:

17. Rules applicable to the Public Service Broadcaster

17.1 The rules in Sections 18 to 19 are not enforceable by the Broadcasting Authority but may be applied by the public service broadcaster.