Funny, he never sued for being called ‘John Dalli Today’
Saviour Balzan – a man who, with his totally shaven head and face, now looks like an engorged golf ball with a painted-on grimace – has taken offence because Lou Bondi called his precious newspaper ‘Malta Labour Party Today’.
That same newspaper reports:
Lou Bondì’s reference to MaltaToday as “Malta Labour Party Today” is considered to be commercially defamatory by Mediatoday directors.
Saviour Balzan, as Managing Editor and director of MaltaToday, has asked MediaToday lawyers to hold the directors of PBS, the chairman, the editorial board, the chief executive, head of news and presenter Lou Bondì responsible for any commercial damages to MediaToday.
Fascinating. I must ask to be notified of these hearings, so that I can sit there and watch Media Today’s lawyer, Labour Party deputy leader Toni Abela, bicker with the magistrate and argue with witnesses that Malta Today has no connection whatsoever with the Labour Party, even though its legal team is composed of the party’s deputat mexxej and it never, but never, has anything to say about Labour.
27 Comments Comment
Leave a Comment
But if the appointed Justice is Silvio Meli, all Malta Today’s financial problems could be over.
[Daphne – Judges no longer preside over libel hearings. Silvio Meli used to preside over them as a magistrate, and his judgements were beyond belief.]
It will also be fascinating to watch the deputy leader of the Labour Party using his best eloquence to convince the court that calling anyone Labour is derogatory, commercially or otherwise.
‘commercial damages’?
Is this just another way of filling his libel suit pot since his first idea didn’t work out?
Although now would be the right time to have his book in the shops. It can sit right next to Mintoff’s – you know someone might buy it, Christmas spirit and all that.
Do you mean he should give out a free copy of his book with every copy of the Mintoff book sold?
Who else is going to buy it?
Am I the only one to have noticed that its publication is being delayed?
It would be even more exciting if Silvio Meli is the judge.
[Daphne – Libel suits are heard by magistrates, no longer judges.]
Could it end up before Consuelo?
The case could backfire for Balzan as it could bring about a public discussion on the political affiliation of his papers. Lou Bondi will not only argue that he has a right to an opinion but will prove that Malta Today is, in fact, heavily biased in favour of Labour.
When did you get your Law degree Antoine?
True but it will never get anywhere. “L-aqwa li qal xi haga”, with ref to Saviour.
Damages need to be proven, and quantified. Which means, he would need to prove that the circulation of his rag started to decline shortly after Lou Bondi’s comment, and not only, but as a direct result of it, i.e. he would have to prove that no other factor was responsible for the drop in sales.
Mission impossible.
Antoine Vella- Lou Bondi’s program is on TVM not NET TV.
Since when is linking Malta Today to the Malta Labour Party (Lou Bondi can always claim a slip of the tongue) commercially defamatory and damaging?
Didn’t Saviour Balzan believe Joseph Muscat when he said that “Labour is safe for business”?
I cannot understand how people like Saviour Balzan are not aware of the fact that they have (long ago) lost the little credibility they had enjoyed.
sos: Say that about TVM’s news bulletins !
Isn’t Fond ghall-Libelli not working ?
“Commercial damages”? Ghal darba se naqbel ma Salvu! Who would want to be associated with them?
Silvio Meli – this person is logically and mathematically nonsense (re recent judgements).
Commercial damages?
Saviour Balzan, you are having a laugh, aren’t you?
I can’t understand as his business partner is Roger Degiorgio a former PN HQ heavyweight in EFA days
Do what I say, not what I do, seems to be Balzan’s motto. He’s always whining about being sued and then reaches for his brief at the drop of a crack…
Don’t you think that Lou messed it up here. But you would never admit it would you?
I’ll make it a point to be there too.
Although Malta Today’s editorials may seem to slant towards Labour (or, more specifically, anti-Gonzi) I don’t think it’s fair that Lou Bondi said something like that on the national station.
Just as Saviour comes across as someone with an axe to grind, so too does Bondi with such statements.
Surely, a presenter on a programme on state television shouldn’t resort to such things. He should be there to ask our policy makers the difficult questions for us, not to insult other journalists he may not like.
Darba Mintoff kien ghamel libell ghax kitbu li kien Socjalist.
Hallina Salv, ma tridx tghid li Media Today huma imparzjali wkoll?
Anke tara r-ritratti li poggiet ta’ Tonio Borg, id-DALLI-MLP Today waqt is-smiegh tinduna ‘l-fejn ixaqqleb il-gazzetta. Xi qrusa ta’ nies.
Commercial damages would be interesting to prove. Doubt Lou needs to worry. If there is an increase in sales will Balzan be paying Lou a commission?
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Not-even-under-Mintoff-was-Dalli-treated-this-way-20121118
“An individual close to John Dalli also revealed that Dalli is focusing his efforts in Brussels where he enjoys the support of various political groups.”
Various political groups = Greens, Liberals, Socialists and PL’s MEP
“Lou Bondì’s reference to MaltaToday as “Malta Labour Party Today” is considered to be commercially defamatory by Mediatoday directors”.
Am I reading too much in the above statement? Do Mediatoday directors find it insulting to have their esteemed paper associated with the Malta Labour Party? So insulting that it amounts to slander and plan to take action?
Is this the same paper, and is it the same Saviour Balzan who some three years ago changed course 180 degrees and did his best to put the Labour Party in the most favourable light?
Is this the same paper who for years had links to its own renditions of Labour scandals during the ‘golden years’, but suddenly hid them?
How will the Muscat Labour Party react to such a slap in the face?
Guess who will take place Lou Bondi if Labour is in power..
Of course, a journalist who never critisize PL, and who poses neutral.