Your leader, Language, please (TMID, 7 November) hit the nail on the head.

I quote: “Television and radio stations should assess all those who will be presenting programmes for their spoken Maltese before putting them on air. You would never get a BBC presenter who speaks English badly”.

But, in Malta, we get many Maltese presenters who speak Maltese badly. And yet they remain there, irrespective of the way they literally garble their speech with English phrases, bad Maltese grammar and a few Italian words here and there.

I wonder, does the Broadcasting Authority have any jurisdiction over such matters?

On the whole, however, it should be the station owners who should be responsible for their presenters. They should be the ones to assess the spoken Maltese of their presenters before putting them on air, either on radio or on television.

One understands that guests they have on their programme might not be able to speak Maltese fluently. But they are only guests and should not be obliged to do so, although, of course, it would be excellent if they could speak Maltese well.

But the presenters themselves must not only be camera-friendly and be able to hit back with questions. They ought to know how to speak in Maltese fluently and well.

Sadly, there are too many who don’t.

M. Grech

Birkirkara