Bondiplus producers are looking into all legal remedies available considering that the PBS editorial board chairman “failed to respond to our arguments proving that there was neither an apparent nor real conflict of interest with the Joe Zahra case”.

They were replying to a statement issued by PBS Editorial Board Chairman John Camilleri, issued in reply to a previous Bondiplus statement on the decision to ban a programme “on the John Dalli case”.

In their statement, Bondiplus producers said that the chairman had failed to deny a single fact mentioned in our press release, failed to explain why Where’s Everybody was denied the possibility to explain how the programme was going to be conducted and failed to prove how and why the programme was going to violate the sub judice rule.

In a statement, the Journalists’ Committee absolutely disagreed that a case which is being heard in court should not be debated and covered journalistically. Journalists have for long been shackled by this misconception which works against the public’s right to know.

Even the fact that Mr Dalli declined to participate in the programme should have had no bearing on the decision to stop the edition, the committee said.

On the other hand, the Journalists’ Committee understands the public broadcaster’s need to safeguard its integrity in avoiding any conflicts of interest – real or perceived – in any of its programmes.

Hence PBS was right in stopping the programme for reasons of conflict of interest, although it should have assigned the issue to its own newsroom or other journalists, given that it remains a matter of public interest, the committee said.