Nationalist MP Clyde Puli yesterday challenged the Justice, Culture and Local Government Ministry to seriously consider the direction Public Broadcasting Services is taking, citing financial trouble and political interference as the main issues that need to be addressed.

He also claimed that the national broadcaster was being used by the government as a propaganda tool. His claims were refuted by Justice and Culture Minister Owen Bonnici, who insisted that PBS has never been so free of political interference.

Speaking during the ministerial budget debate in parliament, Mr Puli said the way in which people were being employed at the PBS was undemocratic. Malta is a small country where everyone knows everyone, he continued. Mr Puli said that everyone knows where these new employees came from.  It shows that the government wants to have absolute control over the newsroom. Before, journalists were employed on the basis of their competence and experience, regardless of their political pedigree. PBS is experiencing financial failure, content failure and it is also broadcasting unacceptable mediocre propaganda, Mr Puli said.

One of the people employed under labour, a former One TV journalist, started as a consultant to the CEO and was later made head of the PBS news website, which at times is more like The Sun tabloid rather than a serious website, Mr Puli said.

For the first time, the Opposition Leader’s reaction to the budget on the day it was presented was not broadcast live. Mr Puli said he was not informed whether the Broadcasting Authority was investigating the case. The type of words being used also left much to be desired, with the government always appearing to be “assertive” while the opposition’s statements appearing “doubtful”.

Charles Flores, who was the PL media head of news during the authoritarian era of the 80s, has now been made head of the editorial board. He was on the board that ordered what was then Xandir Malta not to mention the name of then Opposition Leader Eddie Fenech Adami in the 80s.

A substantial part of PBS’ debt is because of investment in a ‘creativity hub,’ with the scope of increasing the quality of the service provided, he said. This hub never materialised, and many jobs available at the PBS were given to various Labour canvassers, various Labour mayors and ‘friends of friends,’ he continued. The payroll of PBS has “exploded” because of this, Mr Puli said.

Debts and financial stability

Is it true that commercial banks are unwilling to lend PBS money due to its financial instability, he asked. He also asked whether it was true that certain programme contributors have not been paid since June of 2014.

He also asked whether it was true that certain production houses are still owed hundreds of thousands of Euros for works carried out for PBS. He then asked whether a report published by The Malta Independent, quoting Labour’s former general secretary Jason Micallef, was correct in saying that PBS had debts of around €14 million, and if this is indeed true can PBS be considered as a bankrupt corporation.

He stressed that the displeasure and unhappiness felt is not just coming from the Opposition, but from members of the Labour party as well, since PBS is being run so appallingly. He questioned the principles of meritocracy that was one of the platforms on which the Labour party ran for the last general election.

Undemocratic and corrupt

Mr Puli said that in order to understand what is happening at PBS, one must see who are the decision-takers, and who is controlling the content. He called PBS undemocratic and corrupt, stating that the head of news does not take any decisions of his own accord, but waits for instructions from Castille.

He said that the displeasure with PBS is coming from everywhere, not just the Opposition. 

PBS has never been so free – Owen Bonnici

In reply, Justice Minister Owen Bonnici said the PN’s criticism of the PBS showed its extreme double standards. Clyde Puli, he said, had put five members of his secretariat on the KMS a few days before the last election.

He believed that the government should not interfere with the running of PBS. Dr Bonnici said no one could criticise Tonio Portughese, a man of “great integrity.” He also insisted that Charles Flores did not lead the PBS editorial board. Its chairman was Joe Sammut.

The PN conveniently left out the fact that a number of PBS journalists came from PN backgrounds. These people were retained because they were employed on the basis of merit. The same had happened under this administration. The PN had also attacked PBS Head of News Reno Bugeja. “If there is one journalist who has integrity and professionalism it is Reno Bugeja,” Dr Bonnici said. 

The Justice Minister said one had the right to go to the Broadcasting Authority. The PN launched 12 procedures before the BA but it had never decided in the party’s favour. When the authority called on the PBS newsroom once to be more cautious, the PN had wrongly claimed that it had won the claim.

Dr Bonnici said PBS was never as free of political interference as it is now.

Station punching above its weight

The Minister also denied that PBS has a €14 million debt. It was trued that there was an operative loss but the debt amount was nowhere near the figure cited by the PN. He acknowledged that public broadcasting in small countries such as Malta always faced huge challenges. The station was however punching above its weight.

Referring to the report published in The Malta Independent on Saturday, Dr Bonnici challenged the PN to name one single person who was employed at the station without a public call. He said he had demanded that everyone employed with PBS should do so by means of a public call.

He said the extra employees were engaged because in this day and age the national station needed a website and an efficient sales team.