Lie to the press and they will never trust anything you say again
Silvio Scerri, Manuel Mallia’s chief of staff, rang Malta Today on Wednesday night to tell that newsroom that his minister’s driver fired “warning shots” and that they should correct their story.
Silvio Scerri, sitting next to his boss Manuel Mallia, asserts his authority over the police who are meant to be independent of government control.
The government lied to its two greatest allies outside the state-controlled and Labour-controlled media last Wednesday night, and for that it is unlikely to be forgiven.
Journalists might well operate as allies in return for good stories or even out of their own personal political conviction and bias, but lie to them, deliberately feed them a false story, and what you are telling them is that you don’t care if this means they make asses of themselves because your own needs are more important.
You have shown them exactly where they stand in your respect: as tools to be used to your own advantage.
On Wednesday night, this website and Malta Right Now immediately reported the true details of what happened thanks to serendipitous access to eyewitness accounts.
But it is clear that somebody was ringing Times of Malta to give that newspaper false information. Times of Malta was clearly getting that false information, which conflicted completely with eyewitness accounts, from a government source because it did not itself have access to eyewitnesses.
Then its videographer went immediately on the scene and it is largely thanks to the footage he took that the general public got to see – clearly – that there was no crash damage on either side of Smith’s car, but there were at least two bullet entry holes in the back of it. And that’s when doubt obviously set in at Times of Malta about the story fed to it by the government.
Now Malta Today reports this morning that on Wednesday night, Silvio Scerri – Manuel Mallia’s chief of staff – rang its newsroom to correct its report that Manuel Mallia’s driver shot at Smith’s car. They were “warning shots” he insisted with Malta Today. This when the videos and photographs of bullets in the rear of the car were out already and when this website and Malta Right Now were reporting eyewitness accounts which we could not possibly have fabricated even if we wanted to (which no sane person would do).
A chief of staff, ringing a newsroom to lie to it and to persuade the newspaper to change its story in line with his lies – this is beyond shocking.
Silvio Scerri was hidden from view at Manuel Mallia’s press conference the following day. This when he likes to stuff himself into the cameras at every possible opportunity. He too should go. A minister’s chief of staff lying to the press to pervert the course of justice is a very serious matter indeed.
I think it is now abundantly clear even to the most naive and faithful that the very ministry that should be completely clean and, like Caesar’s wife, beyond suspicion – the ministry responsible for the police, army and broadcasting – is infested and controlled by the scum of the earth.
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http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/46525/inquiry_thats_set_to_produce_labours_next_resignation#.VHGvV2chNCz
Viva Malta u l-Maltin, pajjiz mimli hallelin u giddiebin.
I wonder how Saviour Balzan feels all about this.
On another note, he’s been remarkably silent of late. I wonder why.
To all ends and purposes, Silvio Scerri is a(n unelected) Deputy Minister.
I wonder why certain people in the PN don’t speak up about Scerri, and what they know about him.
He was the PS of a PN Minister back in the early ’90s, wasn’t he?
Did you have any doubts that Silvio Scerri was involved in the lies and the cover-up?
Manuel Mallia will come out of this, not unscathed, for the reasons given by Joseph Muscat but that rat of Silvio Scerri will be forced to resign to quell the vociferous Opposition.
Manuel Mallia is the minister in charge of the Secret Service. Way to go.
Which, I have no doubt, does not hesitate to misinform and cover-up to Interpol and on cross-border issues, under his non-intrusive guidance.
What was the budget proving for next? The setting up of border guards? Under what regulations?
I see wider scope for more of same planned.
In any case, fired warning shots to protect who exactly? The car from another scratch?
The only reason I don’t leave this country is the weather.
[Daphne – Malta’s weather is not unique to Malta, and many countries have better weather anyway.]
I think this was a turning point for Salvu. He can’t be seen co-operating in a crime.
Three cheers for Salvu for choosing the right side of the bandwagon when it drops off Scerri at the next stage.
Jidher li l-haruf tas-sagrificju maghzul ser ikun Silvio Scerri.
Ma nemmen qatt li l-Malta Today tasal biex tippublika din l-istorja minghajr il-benedizzjoni mehtiega.
Jista jkun ukoll li diga kollox mahdum bizzilla ghal meta jigu ppuntati is-swaba ufficjalment.
Il-haruf ‘jitwarrab’ ghal ghajnejn in-nies kumpensat sew talli accetta, jekk mhux ukoll ivvolontarja, biex ikun il-haruf tas-sagrificcju.
The Times of Malta and the Malta Today ARE controlled by the Malta Labour Party. It is obvious to everyone, and it has been obvious for quite some time.
If someone can mention one person Silvio Scerri hasn’t lied to, they might win a prize.
I also have it on good (and very reliable) authority that Silvio Scerri also called the newsroom at Times of Malta with the same ‘correction’.
Ghax taf int, peress li ma laqtux ir-ragel, mela dawk warning shots kienu.
Manwel ‘tivventila/ai termini’ Mallia qed jinsa li l-irwol tieghu huwa ta’ ministru u mhux ta’ avukat jaqbez ghal kriminali bhal dawk li huma trigger-happy.
This man’s firm is being awarded government lighting projects by direct-orders as if there is no tomorrow.
Other firms are actually reducing their work force on the knowledge that they have no chance of winning any pubic tender because all works related to Nexos line of business are being contracted out to Nexos by direct orders. This is public knowledge.
Explains why at one point, Malta Today started uploading photos with bullet holes circled in red.
It looks like they are trying to get Mallia off the hook by using Silvio Scerri as a scapegoat. Expect anything from this sordid lot.
If the inflated toad stays on as minister, then Joseph should kiss his fat arse and try, somehow, to turn him into a prince.
Now this is something which merits being disgusted at.
Do we know what the Prime Minsiter is angry about and disgusted at? He seems a bit hazy to me and that’s because I am feeling generous because I had written shifty at first.
Oh my goodness:
I was still thinking about the artist’s impression of a completely green and uninhabited Gozo, you know ‘mhux xorta’ so I nearly missed this:
‘A contentious proposal if the government cannot afford to fund the bridge’s repurchase or compensation is to to pay CCCC by giving it “land of equivalent value” – for primary or secondary development.’ TOM
What Eur 1Bn worth of land?
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141123/local/1bn-bridge-for-gozo-would-take-four-years.545206
I can’t believe the minister hasn’t yet realised that this man is in the wrong place. I wouldn’t trust him as a janitor.
No wonder Minister Emanuel Mallia felt the need to have armed security to protect him.
http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2013/11/where-was-the-police-army-and-passports-minister-last-night-ringside-at-a-boxing-match-surrounded-by-thugs-and-people-of-dubious-repute/
Joseph Muscat doesn’t have the balls to sack the pair of them.
How on earth can he, my dear Gez, when his them things are securely in the grasp of the ‘pair of them’ ready to be squeezed – and very painfully, at that – for the slightest trumped-up excuse.
Malta Today’s revelation that Silvio Scerri called its newsroom to ‘correct’ the reports of shots fired at the car to warning shots could be an important indicator.
Everyone knows that Balzan’s rag is PROBABLY in bed with the government and I believe it’s inconceivable that such a crucial detail would be published without the go-ahead from Kurt Coconut or Keith Kasco.
Is Scerri going to be served up as the fall-guy to save Mallia’s political hide?
Just imagine if the police had managed to remove Smith’s car before press and video crew arrived on the scene:
1. The fact that there were bullet holes in Smith’s vehicle might have gone by unreported.
2. The Ministry for Home Affairs and National Security would certainly not have felt duty-bound to correct the false information they had issued the night before.
3. Times of Malta and MaltaToday would have continued reporting the original cover-up fed to them by the Ministry, that is, that the shots fired were only warning shots in the air.
4. Smith himself would not have been released without having charges pressed against him. There can be no doubt that he would have been painted as the villain.
5. The Prime Minister would certainly not have expressed “anger and disgust”.
6. Without such widespread anger building up against the Ministry for Home Affairs and National Security, eyewitnesses would not have come forward.
7. Paul Sheehan would still be on duty and, probably, Peppi Azzopardi and the Xarabank crew would have prepared a full-blown feature about his “ordeal”, with an tear-jerking interview with his mother, and about how we should be so thankful we have people like Paul Sheehan to protect us.
Since we so often have to rely on pure coincidences to uncover the blatant corruption this government is up to, imagine what else lurks beneath the surface.
We are being led by a gang of savages.
And they claim they did not have the facts when he issued that statement. What a load of crap.
What was Paul Sheehan doing on the phone at the scene? Who was he talking to? What was said?
Those phone records would be interesting.
Also interesting is that Sheehan could make as many phone calls as he wished.
The person who was shot at was arrested and could not have any support until he was already taken away, and then only to ask for a lawyer.
Unfortunately they had all the salient facts except one – that a section of the press already had all the salient facts and so this time the Department of Information could not get away with lying to the press as usual.
The fact that Malta Today outed Silvio Scerri’s Wednesday night fabrications and machinations is a very unexpected crisis of conscience in a newspaper that seemed to be an integral part of the Labour machine that landed us in this mess in 2013. And so it is highly suspect in and of itself.
The cynic in me thinks that this is a ploy building up to putting most of the blame for this debacle on Scerri.
Scerri was already ‘damaged goods’, with one scandal after another trailing in his wake.
Therefore his departure was due anyway at some point and by leaving now, he will at least save Mallia’s hide for that little bit longer, until the next, inevitable, clusterfuck.
That is why he was not allowed to be at his boss’s press conference on Thursday, but was replaced by the prime minister’s communications man.
You read it here first.
I agree – this is highly suspect in and of itself. Either they want to recover the lost ground in the Alexa rankings, or Roger de Giorgio (not Saviour Balzan) wants to distance himself from Joseph Muscat.
It would be interesting to trace and track Mr. Sheehan’s mobile phone and find out who he called on the night of the attempted murder shooting episode.
It seems that the plan is to sacrifice Silvio Scerri to save Manwel Mallia.
Ahsbu ftit ghaliex Silvio Scerri dejjem jinforma lil Malta Today.
Hello… għadni kif sparajt xi żewġ tiri:
http://normanvella.blogspot.com/2014/11/hello-ghadni-kif-sparajt-xi-zewg-tiri.html
Wouldn’t the angle of the shots be different for a man firing while seated (presumably in the minister’s car) than they would be if fired from a standing position?
If the minister’s driver was sitting when he fired his gun, than it is most probable that the other driver was in his car as well. This would favour the theory that the minster’s driver fired in the direction of the British man and his car and NOT just at the car.
Why is the PM continuing to harp that the driver shot at the car?
Is it a case of ‘if he says it enough times…’?
Were the talks planned some weeks ago or was the Ambassador for Libya asked to come to Malta last week?
Is this another ooops moment perhaps?
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141117/local/ambassador-not-persona-non-grata.544302
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141123/local/maltese-diplomats-in-libya-recalled.545413
Can you stop calling Silvio Scerri ‘chief of staff’? The very ‘socialist’ Labour Government invented this new pompous title for what used to be plain and simple ‘Head of Secretariat’.
Il-bambin jilliberak milli jkollok x’taqsam mal-Pulizijia ergajna.
U kieku stess Silvio ta l-informazzjoni zbaljata (gideb) lil gurnalisti l-ministru xorta responsabbli.
Silvio huwa l-kap tas-segretariat, mhux xi nessaggier jew xi kwalunkwe skrivan tal-ministeru. Ic-chief m’ ghaziltux ‘a caldo’, sur ministru.