The Broadcasting Authority yesterday threatened the Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) with legal action in the event of a repetition of the incidents which happened during the 6 February edition of Bondiplus.

The authority, in a letter it sent to PBS, criticised the behaviour of presenter Lou Bondì and guest Wenzu Mintoff, whose names were not published in the letter, during the programme aired on Television Malta which was supposed to discuss the resignation of Dr Gordon Cordina from the post of Director General of the National Statistics Office.

In the letter sent to the chairman of the national broadcaster’s editorial board, the BA criticised Dr Mintoff for his accusations, which the authority said he could have made in the form of a complaint to the station, copied to the authority as stipulated by the Broadcasting Act.

The authority rebuked Mr Bondì for “entering in direct confrontation with the participant in question, even with comments of a partisan nature”. The BA said the comments could create a political imbalance in a current affairs programme. This would be in breach of both the Constitution and the Broadcasting Act, said the BA.

It was also pointed out that Mr Bondì had failed to abide by the dispositions of the Guidelines of Broadcasting on News and Current Affairs. Among others, these require that current affairs programme presenters on public stations should be impartial and not indulge in arguments with guests who were invited by the same presenter, even if the guest attacks the presenter, as was the case with the Bondiplus programme.

The BA said it expected public broadcasting presenters to lead programmes serenely and to be aloof of arguments between guests.

The authority also criticised the introductory promo which failed to point out that the Malta Labour Party denied carrying a personal campaign against Dr Cordina.