You know a general election is round the corner when…

Meanwhile, just a note about Yannick Pace. This is not a reflection on his reporting standards, because I have not noticed anything untoward so far, but conflict-of-interest situations should always be avoided by editors.

Yannick Pace should not be reporting on Transport Malta stories because his father, retired Air Malta pilot Charles Pace, was a 2013 government appointee to the board of Transport Malta until January last year, when he was appointed Director of the Civil Aviation Department, which also falls under the responsibility of Transport Malta and the Transport Minister.

Yannick Pace should not cover anything connected with public hospitals, their privatisation, Barts, Gozo General Hospital, Ram Tumuluri, Vitals ‘Global Healthcare’ or the unknown ultimate beneficial owner of Vitals who is hidden behind nominees in the British Virgin Islands – because his sister Alessandra Pace is head of communications and marketing at that company, working closely with Ram Tumuluri.

Yannick Pace should not be detailed to cover any story connected to Identity Malta, either, because that organisation – if you can call it organised – is run by his uncle, Joe Vella Bonnici, who put three of his siblings – Yannick’s own mother, his brother Tano and another sister, Kathryn Mercieca – on the payroll there

And Yannick Pace shouldn’t be asked to report on anything to do with Valletta’s stint as European Capital of Culture, because his uncle Mario Philip Azzopardi is its “artistic director”.

It’s a shame for Yannick Pace, but Malta Today’s credibility would be at stake if readers thought its reporting were not impartial because of one of its reporters belongs to a family web which the Prime Minister has deliberately networked into all his key-control sectors.