PBS Ltd miserably failed last year and it miserably failed again this year. The failing mark given by the Centre for Media, Data and Society (CMDS) published today makes PBS a serial failure.
This global research centre, to study the state of state broadcasters, has developed a model consisting of seven categories. The top category of the model is reserved for state-owned broadcasters that are truly independent. The model then lists three categories that enjoy a lessened level of independence.
PBS did not make it to any one of these four positive categories.
The model then lists the three failing categories. The worst of the lot is the state-controlled category. You guessed it. PBS falls into this category.
The website of CMDS justifies the failing mark saying, “the government is exerting undue influence at PBS”. It adds “there is little transparency around the budget and expenditure at PBS”.
Regarding content, CMDS says that “the government indirectly controls the editorial policies of the station” and that “there is no domestic statute and no independent assessment and oversight mechanism to validate PBS’ editorial independence”.
It notes that when statutory reports about the use of government funds and about content were asked for by the media and in parliament by PN MP Graham Bencini, the minister repeatedly said that the information is still being collected. This means that such reports do not exist.
The report laments the fact that the state of state broadcasters in the world is not a happy one. Different forms of governments do their utmost to control the state broadcasters.
There are offenders even in EU member states. Two of Spain’s state broadcasters receive the same failing mark as PBS but 20 do not. Cyprus only has one of its four state stations which is independent. The situation in the former Communist countries is the worst in Europe.
The mediocre among us, instead of trying to emulate the independent state broadcasters in, for example, west and northern Europe, find consolation in the fact that there are other state controlled broadcasters in Europe, also in the EU.
This is as ridiculous as saying that it is not a problem to be on death row if there are others in the same predicament as you.
The study published by CMDS confirms what we already knew about PBS.
Different forms of governments do their utmost to control the state broadcasters- Fr Joe Borg
An August 2021 report in the Times of Malta noted that our Broadcasting Authority – though feeble as it is - had, in the previous year, found PBS guilty of some form or other of imbalance on at least eight occasions, a substantial increase over previous years. Other cases happened since then.
The problem in Malta is not only that our state broadcaster is totally controlled by the government. The problem is worsened by the fact that PBS, thanks to our amply given tax money, can produce programmes that attract the largest audiences.
According to the June audience research published by the Broadcasting Authority, the two TV stations of PBS have a larger audience than all the other Maltese stations put together. Malta’s most watched news bulletins – TVM, TVM News + and One – are totally controlled by the government.
This situation, coupled by the huge amount of money the government spends on advertising, is creating a democratic deficit. Voices critical of the government have a Herculean task to get their voice heard in an effective way.
We do not need a reform just of PBS or only a partial reform of journalistic legislation done in secret. In other contributions to this paper and elsewhere, I advocated a radical overhaul of all our media system. This can only be done if the country embarks on a researched and well-funded public process having different stakeholders and experts in the driving seat.
This reform should examine the legislative, structural, financial aspects of our media system. It should also study the prevailing culture of the same media system and the lack of media literacy skills of most of the audience.
A holistic reform plan would then be proposed.
To paraphrase a slogan made famous by Marshall McLuhan, this is a case where the methodology is the message.