Chairman for Press Ethics Commission

The former chief executive of the Broadcasting Authority, Kevin Aquilina has been appointed chairman of the Press Ethics Commission, succeeding Chief Justice Emeritus Giuseppe Mifsud Bonnici.

Dr Aquilina, a lawyer who lectures at the University of Malta, will take over the chairmanship of the commission with immediate effect for a year. He will deal with three new cases that have just been filed. One pending case still falls under the responsibility of the outgoing chairman.

Prof. Mifsud Bonnici, who has been the commission's chairman since 2001, said he was privileged to have served on such a body. He said he was pleased with the high level of journalism in Malta, adding that there were no character assassination problems here when compared to other countries.

"Prof. Mifsud Bonnici has lent a high degree of credibility during his term as chairman of the PEC, both in Malta and internationally," the chairman of the Institute of Maltese Journalists (IĠM), Malcolm J. Naudi said.

During this time, the IĠM's code of ethics was revised and new rules of procedure were adopted to define how the commission operates and the different steps it adopts during the handling of a complaint.

The PEC members are Stefano Filletti, Klaus Vella Bardon, Antoine Ellul, Charles Mizzi, Carmen Sammut, Joe Felice Pace, Sylvana Debono, Joanna Spiteri, Joe Cassar and Tony Cassar Darien. The commission's sec-retary is Joe Cordina.