After weeks on end of avoiding the media and refusing to take questions from journalists, the anti-divorce movement yesterday took part in a recorded television press conference under the strict control of the Broadcasting Authority. The trouble is that it was more of the same – Arthur Galea Salomone jumped through hoops, snuck out of back doors, preached and avoided answering questions at all costs.

In his eyes, Dr Galea Salomone answered all that was put to him, but in reality, he answered nothing. It was clear from the start that the man was hell bent on referring to “divorce without a reason” and went into the studio with the intention of regurgitating the same old baseless arguments that have been put forward time and time again by the Żwieġ bla Divorzju movement.

We will not dwell on the content; we (and you) have heard it time and time again. What we will concentrate on is the behaviour of the anti-divorce movement with the press, in free Malta in 2011.

Time and time again, this newsroom and others have been called to gatherings and meetings to report on the movement’s propaganda. Time and time again, we have been refused when we have tried to make questions.

Time and time again, the anti-divorce movement has organised TV spots, calling up newsrooms, inviting journalists to take comments from Messrs Galea Salomone and Andre Camilleri. Time and time again, this newsroom and other print media were shunned and not informed; we only learned of these ‘offers’ through equally astonished TV media staff.

And the pattern unfolded once more yesterday. All the journalists put pertinent questions to Dr Galea Salomone, yet each and every single time, he shuffled his papers, brought out some obscure document and went off at complete tangents. The moderator was not much help in calling time to his waffling and instructing him to answer questions.

No, that was saved for the journalists on the panel, who were silenced time after time by the moderator, simply because they demanded an answer to what they had asked. This newspaper put a question to Dr Galea Salomone, but he waffled. At the end of his ‘answer’, our journalist told him in no uncertain terms that he had not answered us. Our representative was told to ask the same question again in the second round, but seeing the way the speaker was dodging questions, he decided to move on.

Other journalists were irritated that, time and again, Dr Galea Salomone – who, it transpired later, was accompanied by a delegation that included at least one person who has close links with the OPM – chose to avoid answering their question. One person put the same question three times, and on three occasions there was no answer, just more waffle.

We honestly do hope that the people of Malta and Gozo take a serene decision based on intelligent sifting of information and according to their conscience. What we really would not like to see is people putting on blinkers and listening blindly to the sort of words regurgitated time and time again by the No to divorce movement. We have seen studies quoted out of context, we have seen articles lifted and cherry picked, we have heard lies and more.

This publishing house has brought you all sides of the argument, from people who have direct experience, to the pro-, the anti- and even international religious organisations. We have tried to fill the void that has been created by the No movement’s stubborn, obstinate and arrogant stance of preaching and not being open to scrutiny.

Dr Galea Salomone thought he answered the media’s questions. We are professional ‘answer getters’. We completely disagree with his assumption. If that was meant to be the anti-divorce movement’s atonement for its behaviour with the media throughout the campaign, then all we have to say is; “Gee thanks!”