The Nationalist Party is asking the Broadcasting Authority to halt a Public Broadcasting Service directive requesting current affairs shows to submit topics "for pre-approval" 15 days ahead.

In a statement, the Nationalist Party said this directive strangled the basic principles of democracy and free press and stopped the public from being able to debate current events.

Times of Malta reported on Tuesday that PBS chairman Mark Sammut emailed all producers informing them that "with immediate effect" they must inform PBS management of what is to be discussed on the programmes - and give them 15 days' notice of the topics to be discussed.

Sammut downplayed the request, saying it was needed to ensure electronic programming guides were up-to-date. 

In a protest, the PN called on the Broadcasting Authority to intervene “without delay” for such "breach of law" by the PBS management, which had been taken over by Prime Minister Robert Abela’s “gang”.

Besides showing the miserable state public broadcasting was in, that email gave credibility to the PN’s claim of imbalance, which took place on a daily basis, it said.

It added that the BA only took action about this when the PN complained. All this, the party said, was in breach of the Constitution and broadcasting legislation.

The PN noted that more than €5.5 million in public funds were being invested in PBS annually to ensure impartial broadcasting. The actual situation showed this expenditure to be unjustified.

The directive, the party added, also showed that PBS was completely ignoring the conclusions of the inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia by continuing to follow the same partisan agenda which had led to a tragedy.

The party also filed another protest saying that the TVM programme Niskata was an indirect advertisement for current or former Labour Party candidates.

A copy of both protests can be seen in the pdf links below.