Ask Gatt's ministry a question - and everyone gets an answer

A policy decision taken by the Infrastructure Ministry to ignore established practice when dealing with questions put to it by journalists has raised eyebrows at Castille.

In recent days the ministry circulated the replies to questions sent to it by The Times on the water and electricity tariffs to all media houses. A second incident happened yesterday when this newspaper asked about the ministry's media policy.

This unorthodox behaviour by Austin Gatt's ministry has even confused Castille. A spokesman for the Office of the Prime Minister insisted yesterday that this "was not government policy".

Even so, the ministry yesterday persisted with its new media policy. A spokesman said the policy would concern any replies to questions about water and electricity bills and procurement of oil.

In relation to the debate on energy bills, the price of oil and the relationship between Enemalta and the regulator, the ministry accused sections of the press of misreporting and misrepresenting facts on several occasions.

"The ministry has noted that the practice of replying to questions from the press in writing has led to selective and purposely contradictory reporting that has had the result, intended or otherwise, of making the ministry look secretive, inconsistent or even economical with the truth.

"The ministry cannot accept this unjust attribution," the ministry stated.

However, the ministry's stance is unusual, since his established practice for ministries and other authorities to reply only to the journalist or media organisation that would have put the questions. It is considered somewhat unethical to circulate responses to other members of the press.

The ministry yesterday explained it was under a "political, moral and legal obligation to be transparent" and provide the press with a constant flow of information that "must not be selective or intended to distract, confuse or somehow dilute the veracity of the facts".

The ministry's statement, however, conveniently omitted to mention numerous instances in the past where it has been "selective" in briefing only certain members of the press on various sensitive subjects - such as the Sea Malta privatisation saga in 2005 and the Air Malta rescue plan discussions in 2004.

The Institute of Maltese Journalists (IGM) yesterday said it disagreed with the new policy adopted by the Ministry for Infrastructure.

The IGM said the ministry was acting "unethically" in revealing the identity of the journalist and the medium that had requested information that may be in the public interest and in revealing what questions it was asked.

"These two 'wrongs' do not justify any 'wrongful' behaviour the ministry may deem it is the victim of," the IGM said.

It insisted that relations between the media and any source were built on trust.

"Questions placed to that source in good faith should never be revealed, nor should the identity of the journalist and/or the medium that has placed those questions," the IGM said.

The organisation also asked the Department of Information to state its position on the new policy adopted by the ministry.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com