From Mr V. Laiviera

It has become a habit for Lou Bondi (The Times, 22 February) to play the martyr during an election campaign. He complains loudly that he is not being treated fairly, then quotes himself in his own programme as proof that the MLP discriminates against him. He says he does not have time to ask all the questions he wants to put. He rants and stamps his little feet and, this time around, even claims he was attacked with an umbrella as if, for all the world, Mary Poppins or Mrs Gamp are Labour candidates.

Funnily enough, this often manages to get him special treatment – which he promptly abuses in journalistic terms.

A case in point happened in the run up to the referendum (or it may have been the 2003 election; they were so close I cannot really recall).

Then, as now, Bondi was complaining loud and long, whenever and wherever he got the chance, that he was not being given enough time to put all the questions he wanted to ask. It got so bad his tantrums were actually disrupting the press conferences and – unwisely in my opinion – the MLP gave in to this psychological blackmail and gave Bondi an hour-long one-to-one interview with Alfred Sant on Super One TV, as it was known then.

During this interview, Bondi put some very hard questions, and was continually interrupting Sant and querying every word he said. And he was right to do so – that is what real journalists should do.

But then, and this is where the abuse comes in, he followed up with an interview with Dr Fenech Adami on PBS. This time round, the “interview” consisted of Bondi feeding Fenech Adami bite-sized chunks of the Sant interview and inviting him to comment. Bondi did not interrupt Fenech Adami once or query a single statement that he made.

Is Bondi hoping to do the same thing this time round? The MLP should be aware and beware of wolves in journalists' clothing.

Victor Laiviera

Naxxar