PBS found in breach of election ‘silent day’ rules after political TVM report
Broadcasting Authority upholds PN complaint and orders remedy during main news bulletin
PBS has been found in breach of the silent day rules in force on the eve of the general election after it broadcast a political news report in its 7am bulletin on Friday.
The Nationalist Party filed an urgent complaint with the Broadcasting Authority after TVM’s 7am news bulletin featured a report showing incumbent Minister for Inclusion and Voluntary Sector Julia Farrugia Portelli praising the government’s work.
During an urgently convened sitting of the BA board on Friday, the PN’s legal representative, Michael Piccinino, argued that the content breached the law and warranted a remedy. He also pointed out that the 7am bulletin is broadcast live.
PBS lawyer Mark Vassallo explained that on Thursday the station had been “cleaning up” political stories related to the election campaign, but one report was aired due to “a technical glitch in the database” because it had not been updated.
Vassallo added that TVM noticed the error before the complaint was filed and “immediately launched an investigation and took action”.
He said the station skipped its 8am and 9am news bulletins while it investigated the cause of the problem.
Vassallo reiterated that there were no grounds for a remedy, particularly given that the glitch occurred during the 7am bulletin, and argued that if one were to be ordered, it should be broadcast at the same time.
He insisted the station “had no control” over the technical issue and “did all it could” to resolve the situation immediately.
The BA board ruled that while the station referred to a “technical glitch”, it did not deny broadcasting an item that should not have been aired.
The authority upheld the PN’s complaint and ordered PBS to broadcast a summary of the case prepared by the board during the first three items of Friday’s main 8pm news bulletin.