Every decision by the Broadcasting Authority in favour of the Nationalist Party further confirmed how TVM has effectively become “Super One 2," a second version of the Labour Party's media, PN general secretary Michael Piccinino said on Thursday.

He noted that the authority had found the public broadcaster guilty of bias when it aired advertisements featuring Robert Abela prior to the 2024 Budget.

"Despite Robert Abela’s repeated attempts to mislead the public into believing that the advertisements he ordered were meant to inform people, the Broadcasting Authority has now exposed these as mere propaganda," he told a press conference.

"Robert Abela seems to believe he can use the public broadcaster as though it were his personal platform. The station, which is supposed to serve the nation, is being systematically and methodically used by Robert Abela as a propaganda machine. This is now widely known as the years have provided ample evidence," Piccinino said.

In addition to PBS's continuous bias against the PN under the leadership of editor Charles Dalli, Norma Saliba, the former PBS head of news, was found guilty of bias against the PN in her reporting on 21 occasions, the PN general secretary said. 

A single mistake might have been an error; 21 instances clearly show intent, he added.  

For her loyal service, Norma Saliba was well-compensated, even after leaving PBS, having been handed a €72,000 job by the government before being made head of communications of the Labour Party itself. 

The PN, he said, would not stop fighting against bias in a station that is supposed to present an accurate and truthful picture of the country’s events. 

The press conference was attended by the party spokesperson on public broadcasting,  Claudette Buttigieg.

Labour hits out at PN 'hypocrisy'

In a reaction, the Labour Party accused the PN of hypocrisy and said its officials conveniently forgot to point out that a court had rejected an attempt by Bernard Grech to impose a gag to prevent the people from knowing the positive outcomes of the Budget.  

And the PN's hypocrisy was compounded when the Budget spots he complained about were carried, on payment, by the PN's own media.