Former Broadcasting Authority chief executive Pierre Cassar believes there is nothing wrong with airing a documentary on Dom Mintoff on its own, days after it was revealed that the state broadcaster had blocked its screening.
PBS stopped the documentary about the former Labour strongman after some board members felt it would not sit well with viewers sensitive about the Mintoff years.
The board then decided to air it on the condition that another documentary about former PN prime minister George Borg Olivier is also shown.
“I would have aired it on its own,” said Cassar, who was chief executive between 2009 and 2016.
When there are matters dealing with political or industrial controversy, the Broadcasting Act calls for a need for balance, better known as “impartiality”.
“I cannot see the issue, despite the law being clear that there needs to be impartiality. In this case, it [the documentary] is a historic take on a prominent politician, whether you love him or not,” he said.
“I was quite surprised by the board’s decision.”
Cassar added the law states that the Broadcasting Authority can only take action once the programme is aired.
“I cannot imagine a documentary which is not based on fact. This is a documentary, not a discussion programme,” he said.
“At the end of the day, a decision was taken to have a number of programmes produced, and PBS was aware that one of them was about Dom Mintoff.”
The documentary was produced by private production company I Vision and was commissioned and funded by the Foundation for National Celebrations (FCN) and Arts Council Malta to mark 10 years since Mintoff’s death.
The decision to not air the documentary came despite it being approved by an editorial review panel, which sources previously said had found the production to offer a “balanced and well-researched” take on the life of the controversial political figure.
Owen Bonnici dodges issue
Meanwhile, Culture Minister Owen Bonnici skirted questions about the state broadcaster’s decision.
“On Wednesday, PBS published a statement on this point, and I have nothing to add apart from that I believe Dom Mintoff is an important figure in our Maltese history,” he said.
Pressed further on the topic, Bonnici said he had nothing else further to comment.
When asked if the principle of balance in broadcasting can be changed in any way, he noted that the national broadcaster is heavily regulated by laws.
“The fact there are laws regulating it means many times there are laws which say what can and cannot take place,” the minister said.
“I hope that with time we can be more honest in the way we look at the concept of balance which not only follows the law but is the result of maturity that comes from every aspect of our society.”
Former PN minister Francis Zammit Dimech said producing documentaries on personalities who have had an impact on Maltese history should be encouraged.
It is important the documentary is produced as “objectively” as possible and not as a means to push propaganda.
“It should cover different points of view, including both negative and positive facts on the individual, and if people are asked to contribute to interviews, there should be a range of different people to give different perspectives.”
Zammit Dimech, a broadcasting expert, said it is important the public broadcaster contributes to public debate by ensuring different points of view and respects all facts provided.
In his latest publication, The Role, Duties and Obligations of the Public Service Broadcaster in Malta, Zammit Dimech delves into the local public broadcasting services from a legal perspective.
“I am struck by the fact the documentary was produced to mark his anniversary, and that it could verge on the propaganda side, but that is something one can only judge after seeing it (the documentary),” he said.
On the other hand, former prime minister and Labour MEP Alfred Sant described the whole situation as a “storm in a teacup”.
“It’s such a funny story… I think PBS and the media are making too much of a deal out of it,” Sant said.