BA bans two <i>Xarabank</i> shows due to MLP absence

The Broadcasting Authority has directed Public Broadcasting Services not to air two editions of Xarabank on the electoral manifestos of the political parties because Labour leader Alfred Sant refused to join his counterparts on the programme.

The Labour Party boycotts programmes produced by Where's Everybody?, which is responsible for Xarabank.

BA chief executive officer Kevin Aquilina confirmed the directive.

However, Joe Pace Axiaq, a member of the authority nominated by the Nationalist Party, strongly objected to the directive.

Contacted yesterday, he said: "The BA must not approve the right of veto that Dr Sant would like to have. The climate of the discussion in which the decision was taken was not very good, but I will speak about this later".

Dr Aquilina said PBS has been directed to send its schedule of investigative journalism, current affairs and discussion programmes to the BA.

"The BA insists on knowing the subjects, speakers and presenters of such programmes. PBS informed us on March 17 it planned to air two programmes in which the electoral manifestos of the PN, MLP and AD were to be discussed, on March 28 and April 4.

"The authority then asked for the details of the participants and the presenter. After the authority saw these details and considered its directive of securing balance during the electoral campaign, and as the MLP does not attend such programmes, it decided there will not be the balance as required by the Constitution. The BA therefore informed PBS that the programme as proposed does not satisfy the requisites of the Constitution," Dr Aquilina said.

One of the Broadcasting Authority's guidelines on current affairs programmes says: "The authority accepts that any organisation or any person has the right to decline an invitation to participate in a programme but refusal to take part in a programme shall not automatically imply the cancellation of that programme.

"The reason is that cancellation would be equivalent to granting a right of veto over the particular subject. This would be inconsistent with the broadcasting services' duty to deal with important issues."

Asked about this, Dr Aquilina said the Constitution had an overriding power over the guideline "now more than ever since we are in an election campaign".

Asked why the BA had aired a series of discussion programmes before the EU referendum when the MLP had boycotted them, Dr Aquilina said: "That was a different case. One cannot discuss the MLP's manifesto without having official party representatives to explain it. If PBS wants, it can air the programmes with a different presenter," Dr Aquilina said.

Contacted for his comments, programme presenter Peppi Azzopardi said "this is a dangerous decision against journalism, not just against us".

Mr Azzopardi accused the BA of giving absolute power to political parties, in this case the MLP, to decide what subjects are discussed on local broadcasting media.

"The BA should be the watchdog to protect people. But this decision shows it is there to protect the MLP, which panics when it sees investigative journalism," he said.

Mr Azzopardi said he would be taking all the necessary steps and hoped that The Malta Press Club and other journalists would express solidarity with the Xarabank team which is producing programmes about the electoral campaign.

Lou Bondí, a partner in Where's Everybody?, said the BA's decision "is as absurd as it is dangerous. It effectively gives the leader of the opposition the veto power to stop any programme discussing whatever he does not like".

PBS chief executive Andrew Psaila said the station was discussing the matter.