In the 1970s, the Watergate complex in Washington became the centre of a major political scandal, which led to the downfall of the Nixon administration. This affair involved lies, cover-ups and a whole series of dirty tricks.
Since then, the suffix ‘-gate’ has become synonymous with political scandals all over the world. The media involvement in the unfolding of the Watergate affair and the downfall of the Nixon administration has become the stuff that media legends are made of.
Investigative media dramatically increased publicity and its repercussions, uncovering information showing knowledge of the wrongdoing, and the attempts to cover it up, involved the higher echelons of the government. The Nixon administration and its supporters accused the media of “wild accusations”, too much emphasis on the story and a bias against the government.
In May 1974, Richard Nixon himself said that, had the media not been biased, “Watergate would have been a blip”. However, subsequent to the initial incredulity about the story, the wider media noted most of the reporting was accurate and the competitive nature of the media guaranteed widespread coverage of this far-reaching political scandal.
We can draw parallels between these historical events and the situation we are facing in our country today. ‘Gate’ was attached to the name of a country (Panama), immediately after independent media first broke the news of the secretive dealings carried out there by a Cabinet minister and by the Prime Minister’s chief of staff.
Journalists should only answer to one master: the quest for the truth
Nixon’s “blip” became Joseph Muscat’s “hogwash” and the initial incredulity, when the story was originally broken in Malta by an independent blogger, was brushed aside by the worldwide release of the so-called Panama Papers.
The mammoth in Labour’s room could not be covered up any longer, and the lie by a section of the media about the disgruntled businessman planting the story for revenge became a bad joke.
Since 1787, when Edmund Burke first used the term in a parliamentary debate on opening reporting in the House of Commons, journalists have become known as the Fourth Estate, in a reference to the power wielded by the other three (clergy, nobility and commoners), then represented in the assembly.
As anticipated by Burke, the power wielded by the media would become great, but with great power comes great responsibility. Professional journalists should only answer to one master – the quest for the truth – but we still see individual journalists wielding their power without responsibility while answering and bowing their heads to their political masters.
I am not referring to Labour-Party-owned or affiliated media, from which we do not expect better. The ‘journalists’ there have assumed the role of party or government spokespersons, not journalists. They are blatantly trying to cover up and minimise the Panamagate affair by illusory tricks and puerile attempts to deviate attention to alleged misdemeanours by members of the PN. They are failing.
I am also not referring to the independent media, where professionalism and integrity of individual journalists has come to the fore.
I am, however, referring directly to the supposedly objective and professionally run State broadcaster: PBS-gate. The ‘gate’ is the PBS editorial gatekeeper role, very thorough in first blocking, then filtering, any mention of the Panama scandal.
News items are injected with a large dose of spin, apparently coming straight from the desks of Castille. Take TimesTalk and Dissett. The former’s independent and objective journalists ask questions and challenge the answers. The latter, produced and presented by the PBS head of news himself, allows the Prime Minister to get away with broad statements, wild accusations, even putting words into Simon Busuttil’s mouth, without challenging any of it
The presenter also goes as far as to support these with body language, smiles and smirks.
This is not professional journalism. This is State propaganda at its worst. We expect better from the State broadcaster. We deserve better. We are owed better.
Charlot Cassar is a Nationalist electoral candidate.