PN turning PBS into propaganda machine - Sant

Labour Leader Alfred Sant accused the government yesterday of turning PBS, the state broadcaster, into a propaganda machine with a strategic plan implemented under the Gonzi administration.

Speaking outside the Malta Broadcasting Authority offices in Blata l-Bajda, which he asked to remain vigilant, he gave an overview of developments at the state broadcaster.

It all started, Dr Sant said, with the government's "so-called" restructuring process which decimated the staff complement from 190 to 55 in 2004, getting rid of some of the company's most experienced staff.

Since 2003, the company had a string of high-profile resignations including two chairmen of the editorial board, Fr Joe Borg and John Camilleri, and three company chairmen, Austin Sammut, Michael Mallia and Andrew Aguis Muscat who, Dr Sant said, are surely not known as Labour sympathisers.

Mr Camilleri in particular had accused the PBS board of directors of abuse of power over its interference in the controversial selection of the winter programme schedule, Dr Sant pointed out, adding that the former chairman had described the broadcaster as being in a miserable state.

To top it all, the government had dismantled the newsroom and restructured it to suit its needs.

When the post of news manager was originally vacated in 2005, The Times's former news editor Vanessa Macdonald had been picked for the job but the Office of the Prime Minister reversed the decision - something which neither Minister Austin Gatt, who is responsible for the company, nor the chairman agreed with.

Eventually former head of programmes Sylvana Cristina was appointed to the post. She resigned recently to work as a translator in Luxembourg and last Monday it was announced that The Times journalist Natalino Fenech had been appointed in her stead.

Contrary to what the collective agreement states, Dr Sant said, this was done without a call for applications.

The new news manager has been given a handsome package which totalled just under €48,900 (Lm21,000) a year - €37,264 (Lm16,000) as a basic wage and a benefit package of some €11,645 (Lm5,000) - way above anything other PBS staff could expect to earn.

The decision came hot on the heels of another two recruitments at the newsroom, those of former Net News journalist Keith Demicoli and the former communications co-ordinator at the Environment Ministry, Sergio Mallia - both unsuitable for the state broadcaster given their direct political affiliations, Dr Sant said.

The people responsible will be held accountable for these decisions, he added.

The Investments Ministry hit back saying there was nothing irregular about the appointment of Dr Fenech and that public corporations could appoint people directly.

The Ministry said Dr Sant's press conference was simply aimed at threatening PBS journalists in a bid to ensure that their reporting is to his liking.

"The truth is that Dr Sant wanted the post of news manager to remain vacant until the completion of a selection process which could take months, despite the fact that the person who held that post left just before a general election.

"Dr Sant wanted the situation to remain as it was because he thought he would be in a better position to threaten and intimidate journalists without the protection of their editor," the ministry said.