The Nationalist Party's constitutional case against the Broadcasting Authority and Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) began being heard in court on Thursday. The PN is alleging that there has been a persistent imbalance in public broadcasting and that impartiality obligations have not been enforced.

In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, the PN said that this court case is not just its own battle, but also "for every citizen's right to fair, balanced and impartial public broadcasting."

The PN cited how, according to parliamentary data, between June 2025 and May 2026, PBS news bulletins broadcast 532 sound-on-tape clips featuring the Prime Minister and members of government, in comparison to just 66 sound-on-tape clips involving the Opposition leader, members of the Opposition, and representatives of the Nationalist Party.

"The obligation of impartiality does not apply solely to content. The law also provides that presenters and reporters working on news and current affairs programmes on public broadcasting must be seen to be impartial, including in their activities outside broadcasting. PBS must therefore ensure that impartiality standards are upheld in every aspect of public broadcasting," the PN stated.

The PN stressed that "PBS does not belong to the government of the day" and that because it is the sole public broadcaster for all Maltese and Gozitans, the PN will be fighting to ensure that "public broadcasting truly belongs to all of us once again."

The Nationalist Party had filed a request for an urgent hearing to be heard in this constitutional case. That request was granted by the Court on Wednesday, 30 September, just over a fortnight ago.

The PN is being represented by Michael Piccinino, David Bonello, and Thomas De Martino.