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Updated: PBS accuses PL of manipulating information

The Labour Party was manipulating information given in Parliament in an unacceptable way, PBS said this afternoon.

It was replying to claims made earlier by PL spokesman Gino Cauchi who told a news conference that public broadcasting was putting the Labour Party at a disadvantage, as confirmed by official information given in Parliament by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Minister Dolores Cristina.

Mr Cauchi said that between October last year and April, there were 86 programmes on PBS for which ministers, parliamentary secretaries and PN officials were invited. On the other hand, there were only 53 programmes for which Labour MPs were invited.

He said that between October last year and May, there were 26 news bulletins which included comments from the Prime Minister and only 18 in which the leader of the opposition commented. In the same period, there were 97 services which included comments from ministers or parliamentary secretary but only 10 which included comments from Opposition MPs.

The biggest discrepancies, Mr Cauchi said, were registered in the first three months of this year when the possibility of an early election was being mentioned.

In its reply, PBS said that between January and May this year, the leader of the Opposition leader appeared in 107 news items, 16 times more than the Prime Minister.

Broadcasting Authority statistics showed that in 1997, the full year of the Labour government, TVM had an average of 183 stories a month featuring the Labour government when there were now an average of 34.

The Labour Party, PBS said, was manipulating the information given by the Prime Minister and Mrs Cristina.

For the information requested was how many times had MPs appeared on PBS programmes. These figures did not include the representatives the PL sent who were not MPs.

Giving an example, PBS said Xarabank invited PL deputy leader Anglu Farrugia but the party sent a candidate instead of him. But according to how the PL, it was not represented during the programme.

The station said that the PL campaign against PBS did not have anything to do with balance but was being carried out because the national station was seeing an increase in viewership which was badly affecting advertising on the PL’s station.

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Tommy Vella

Jun 16th 2012, 08:02

Għandek raġun f'li qed tgħid. Żball wieħed għandek:

"fil-passat sar hekk" trid tiġi "fil-passat sar ħafna ħafna agħar minn hekk"

Illum il-PL għandu stazzjon liċenzjat biex ixandar l-veduti tiegħu. Qabel, biex il-PN isemma' leħnu kellu jikser il-liġi.

Illum il-kap tal-opożizzjoni jidher fi programmi, jiġi kwotat, jinqraw l-istqarrijiet tiegħu. Qabel lill-kap tal-opożizzojoni anqas biex ma jsemmu ismu kienu.

Saviour Fenech

Jun 15th 2012, 22:39

The time of Xandir (or Dardir) Malta and of 'Bongu Malta Socjalista', Run Rabbit Run; Red MLP scarfs at the opening of transmission, Varist Bartolo as Head of News, no name for the Leader of the Oposition, transmission of MLP meeting sand twisting of facts in the news bulettin and many other obscene actions when MLP controlled the state media. this is where one needs a high IQ to recognize the state TV. Perhaps you were not even born, Ms Muscat,, and if you were born, what a short memory you possess.

John Borg

Jun 15th 2012, 19:17

Sur Caruana. Veru qatt ma rajt xandir fi zmien il-lejber biex titkellem hekk. Daqs kemm jidhru l-aburisti fuq il-pbs, u dejjem jeqirdu li ma jgibuhomx! veru l-fatti jitkellmu wahedhom!

John Borg

Jun 15th 2012, 20:48

Iccekkja sew Sur Borg. Iccensuraw lill-Lou Bondi kemm il-darba u gibdu ukoll l-attenzjoni tal-PBS ghal dawn in-nuqqasijiet kontra il-Partit Laburista

joseph saliba

Jun 15th 2012, 18:21

Amongst which 2 'independent' newspapers paid by members of the GWU (an apolitical organization) i.e. IT-TORĊA and L-ORIZZONT.

P. Zammit

Jun 15th 2012, 19:55

@J.Saliba ... IT-TORĊA and L-ORIZZONT are independent newspapers who criticize the government ....until PL is elected of course ... then the disastrous economy we have today will become the most advanced in Europe. You are so right !

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