Claudia Calleja
PBS blacks out politician shoe-hurling satire
A video grab from the offending scene in which former AD chairman Arnold Cassola is asked to hurl a shoe at three tins which featured the faces of the President, the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader.
The anti-censorship movement has deplored a decision by Public Broadcasting Services Ltd to black out part of an entertainment show in which contestants were asked to throw shoes at tins featuring photos of politicians and the President.
The game was meant to be part of the satirical VIP Xow aired on TVM on Monday. It involved hurling shoes at pictures of President George Abela, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat. But instead viewers could only see a black screen when this sequence was supposedly aired.
PBS editor Natalino Fenech said the decision had nothing to do with censorship. When he saw the clip he thought it was “in bad taste and illegal”.
“Apart from the fact it is illegal to ridicule the President, I find it in bad taste to throw a shoe at a person’s image. Had the tins had images of a cow, a duck and a dog, I would have still asked for the sequence to be removed because throwing a shoe at the image of a person or an animal sends a wrong message and has nothing to do with satire,” he said.
In the case of the President’s image, there was a legal problem too, he noted. The Press Act says that whoever uses “defamatory, insulting or disparaging words, acts or gestures” in contempt of the President would be committing a criminal offence liable to a jail term of up to three months or a fine.
“I would not be surprised if they face legal action, given that the clip was shown on YouTube and Facebook... Had I allowed the clip to be broadcast, the police would have been correct to prosecute me as I am legally responsible for the content aired on TVM,” Dr Fenech said.
The clip was removed from the video sharing site after the VIP Xow team were advised to pull it off by their lawyer, presenter Chrysander Agius said.
“The law is there and I respect it even though I might not agree with it... When the script was written it did not cross our mind it was in bad taste or potentially illegal,” he said, adding it was just meant to be funny.
Mr Agius pointed out the UK had similar laws, making it illegal to make fun of the Queen, however, they were not applied rigidly and there was room for comedy.
On Monday’s show, Alternattiva Demokratika’s former chairman Arnold Cassola was one of four guests of the popular comic trio Zoo.
The blacked out part involved the shoe-throwing game aimed at poking fun at the fact that AD never won at election. When it was Prof. Cassola’s turn to play, the tins were brought very close to him so he could hit them easily, knock them down and “finally win something” – a play on AD’s lack of electoral success.
Ingram Bondin, from the Front Against Censorship, said in a statement yesterday: “In a democracy, politicians should have no special right to be shielded from satire. In fact, this is harmful as it prevents the media from dispelling cults of personality, which may have been constructed around particular public figures.”
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Andrea Portelli
Jan 7th 2011, 23:14
Ah yes Maltese humour (or lack of) in it's prime. It seems none of you watch British comedy talk-shows like "have i got news for you" where the panel constantly ridicule Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Boris Jonhson, Ken Livingstone, Ed Miliband, John Prescott, Vince Cable and the list goes on and on.
I personally take no offense and have no problem with having such acts being aired on tv, however I'd personally opt out from bashing the President with a shoe as he has never done anything which would warrant such resentment
The other 2 on the other hand.........
Janet Bayes
Jan 7th 2011, 18:18
Firstly I must say thanks for the proof of my theory that the Maltese nation, on the whole, have no sense of humour, and an inability to laugh at themselves. Secondly, is there anyone thinking that it is right that this "“defamatory, insulting or disparaging words, acts or gestures” in contempt of the President would be committing a criminal offence liable to a jail term of up to three months or a fine." compares favourably with "driving a bus full of passengers, endangering many lives, whilst using a mobile phone? constitutes a fine of 23.49 euros?"
Sander Depasquale
Jan 7th 2011, 18:08
The authorities did the right thing to ban bad humuor!
X Sammut
Jan 7th 2011, 16:01
@Ingram I would support your efforts against censorship if these efforts had the potential to provide added value to TVM's viewers. Frankly, I would have had more respect for your movement if your statement was in support of TVM's decision - in this case censorship is not the issue. God forbid if we had to watch these scenes on TVM! Well done TVM
M Mallia
Jan 7th 2011, 15:54
With a trade name like ZOO, why should we expect better? I totally agree with Dr Fenech - his judgement is sound. This is not about insulting politicians but about taste in TV entertainment.
Evarist Saliba
Jan 7th 2011, 15:50
Well done Natalino Fenech. Throwing shoes at persons is a recognised insult, and your decision not to involve PBS in gratuitously insulting the Prsident of Malta and the leaders of the political parties represented in Parliament is correct and dignified. Shame on the retired leader of AD for agreeing to indulge in such activity. Yes, the President of Malta is a human being, and just because of that, he also deserves respect.
Joseph Calleja
Jan 7th 2011, 15:46
When a reporter threw his shoes at President Bush in Iraq, I thought that was the funniest thing I saw in a long time and so did millions of others. (The only problem is, he missed). A politician is a public figure and he or she is subject to praise,ridicule, and controversy, well at least in the Western world. First of all this is a satire and secondly if a politician can't take a joke, then he shouldn't be a politician in the first place. Good politicians are rough and tough and can take a bit of humour. Politicians are not Saints but human beings like the rest of us. You never mentioned the name of the Youtube clip. Anybody?
N. Pace
Jan 7th 2011, 12:24
If it is against the law it is against the law. Grow up people!
Ramon Casha
Jan 7th 2011, 11:16
Please someone give the powers-that-be something for their acute constipation.
And get rid of the law prohibiting "ridiculing the president". The president is a human like any other, can make mistakes, and should have enough sense of humour to take the occasional ribbing. Let the editors, and ultimately the paying public, determine what is in good taste and what is in bad taste.
A. Zahra
Jan 7th 2011, 13:07
let sosa tal flagship determine what is good taste. those who remember sosa, know what i mean
Christian Sciberras
Jan 7th 2011, 15:12
Ramon Casha, however, it's broadcasters that turn on or off the switches. As it is, they ultimately inherit their power from the people, whether you like it or not. The people have decided, and the majority doesn't seem to think throwing shoes at our president in good taste. At all. Now unless by "people" you mean persons like the (in)famous Norman Lowell, I'd give you credit. The rest in this little group seem to shout out for the sake of liberalism.
karm cassar
Jan 7th 2011, 11:10
There are funny ways to make fun but throwing shoes at people is not one of them. Mr Natalino
Fenech is right.
Christian Sciberras
Jan 7th 2011, 09:47
Satire? I'd love to see Ingram's face after people did the aforementioned to him.
But wait, he's no politician, is he? So he shouldn't worry, right?