Update 2: PBS fires back at PL, accuses the party of lying

It was a blatant lie that Public Broadcasting Services had been found guilty of imbalance with the Labour Party and the station will be taking up the matter with the Broadcasting Authority, PBS editor Natalino Fenech said.

Earlier this afternoon, the PL issued a statement saying that the PBS newsroom, led by Dr Fenech, had been found guilty of imbalance with the party by the Broadcasting Authority.

The PL said in a statement that this decision strengthened its belief that PBS was continuously showing an imbalance with it in its news bulletins and some current affairs programmes.

Dr Fenech said the BA only said that the station had not acted correctly when it broadcast a visual of Labour MP Anglu Farrugia, including the text of part of his speech, while the right of reply was being read.

The authority said that in its opinion, this constituted comment, which was against the right of reply provisions.

At no point did the BA say that PBS had been found guilty of imbalance against the party, Dr Fenech said.

He said that PBS would be taking up the matter with the BA to ensure that steps are taken against whoever issued the PL statement.

But PL director of communications Kurt Farrugia insisted that Dr Fenech's newsroom was found guilty of imbalance.

"The PL protested against imbalance by PBS and the BA clearly found the station guilty of being in breach of Legal Notice 350.14. This clearly means Dr Fenech’s newsroom was found guilty of imbalance, Mr Farrugia said.

Dr Fenech said that what had happened was that the director, who was a PL delegate, had made a mistake and started broadcasting the footage of the following story as the right of reply was being read.

The footage was stopped as soon as the mistake was realised.

Dr Fenech complained of a systematic attack against him by the PL. He pointed out that on the day of the incident, he had been in Gozo.

Dr Fenech said it was ironic that the Labour Party had issued its statement on the BA’s decision minutes before PBS had been informed about this decision.

He urged the people to read the BA's decision and reach their own conclusion.

Mr Farrugia said that the PL was noting Dr Fenech’s attempt at shrugging off his responsibility as editor by blaming one of his workers in the newsroom and that he was in Gozo.

"That is, to put it mildly, cheap and not worthy of the position he occupies in the state funded national TV."

The BA's decision can be read in the pdf link below.