Back to haunt Labour (1)

Glenn Bedingfield's reply (January 22) to my letter regarding his use of political lies and spins is evidently impulsive and ill-thought out; what else could you expect from someone whose back is against the wall?!

For those who are not well-versed in the case, Mr Bedingfield, head of news at Super One, was recently ordered to pay just over €5,800 in libel damages to former minister Louis Galea following an article which had appeared in a book penned by Mr Bedingfield entitled Il-Ħbieb tal-Ħbieb (Friends of Friends). In its conclusions on the case, the Court of Appeal found Mr Bedingfield guilty of having fabricated a story with the specific intent of tarnishing the former minister's reputation.

In his half-baked reply, Joseph Muscat's appointed head of news dangerously implies that he is compelled to publish stories passed onto him by individuals because of their alleged fear of retribution without mentioning that journalists and, most importantly, editors, are in duty-bound to check the veracity of the same stories and sources before publishing those stories.

It is truly petty and appalling to see Mr Bedingfield attempt to use the "character assassination" card when it is evident that he shot himself in the foot with his own fabricated story.

Readers will now be in a better position to judge whether Mr Bedingfield's appointment as head of news at Super One enhances Dr Muscat's credibility when he states that he is intent on a new way of doing politics and that he is building a coalition of progressives and moderates.

It is becoming every day clearer that Labour has chosen the wrong prophet to lead it out of the wilderness.