Sexual harassment can never be justified, and the Nationalist Party on Wednesday unreservedly condemned any attempt, by whomever it may be made, to minimise such cases. The trauma experienced by a victim of sexual harassment does not end with a court sentence, and any attempt to justify the actions of an aggressor amounts to yet another act of aggression against the victim.

The manner in which Ricky Caruana used his podcast - sponsored, among others, by a government agency - to give a platform to an individual who was found guilty by our courts of committing sexual harassment in order to attempt to cleanse his reputation is condemnable, the PN said. The role of the media is to educate, inform and provide entertainment, but certainly not to attempt to rehabilitate the reputation of a person who has been found guilty of a criminal offence.

The fact that Ricky Caruana is also a broadcaster on the Public Broadcasting Service places responsibilities upon him even when he is not appearing on the national station - responsibilities which he is failing to uphold, as one would expect from a serious and responsible presenter, the PN said.

This is not the first time that this presenter has expressed misogynistic views that are harmful to women. Even when the first case occurred, several women's organisations and other bodies had condemned his conduct, including the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality and the Malta Women's Lobby. Unfortunately, it appears that nothing has changed.

The PN said it firmly believes that opinions of this nature have no place on any form of media in a developed country in 2026. It also appeals for the responsible use of social media, given the powerful influence these platforms are widely known to have on public opinion in today's world.