The Institute of Maltese Journalists said this afternoon that it wanted to express its displeasure at the way the Department of Information had issued a press card to Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, therefore making a parody of the journalism profession. This decision, it said, had ultimately led to this morning's events when a press conference by the leader of the opposition was disrupted.

The institute described the decision by the DOI as unprofessional, especially when, it said, there were several other occasions where the DOI refused to issue a press card to people who had better credentials to serve as journalists than election candidates.

The institute welcomed the ruling by the Broadcasting Authority which made it clear that what happened this morning went against the conditions for the holding of political broadcasts.

It appealed to journalists not to allow themselves to be used as puppets by politicians.