Denying Labour the right of self-defence

Maltastar

Denying Labour the right of self-defence

The supposedly independent media plods on with Where`s Everybody (WE) mission to paint Labour as a retrograde bunch locked in expired Marxist ideology detached from modern media and economic realities.

What should worry anyone who has democracy at heart is that we have come to a stage where` the majority that forms part of a wide power network spread across wherever there is power to be controlled, is condemning the fact that the minority is trying to defend itself as best as it can.

Pause a bit and think. Since last September the PN has issued a strong and unequivocal directive for all Ministers, MP`s, NET/101 journalists and representatives not to take part in any debate on Super One TV. A boycott if ever there was one.

Nobody screamed, nobody labelled the PN Marxist. On the contray Lou Bondi` on joegrimalive recently expressed his agreement to such a measure.` As Chairman of Super One I was asked for my opinion about what retaliatory action, if anything, should be taken.` I strongly advised against escalation and took the mere symbolic step where Super One journalists and executives will not participate in Net TV discussions.` I counselled the MLP to continue authorising its representatives to participate normally on NET TV when invited.

I was hoping that reason will prevail. But this has not happened so far and clearly the motivations of the PN can be none other than reducing the credibility of Super One discussions programmes, making them look one-sided by denying the inputs from the government / PN side.

Now that MLP took the overdue step of refusing to participate in programmes produced and presented by WE, whichever channel they transmit upon, prejudiced journalists throw all sorts of accusations against Labour.

Labour has very good reasons to deny WE of their presence.` I have been saying this at least two years. But let me repeat the main reasons.

WE is economically dependent on the government through short term contracts and hardly in a position to be the independent journalists they pretend to be. This role belongs to PBS newsroom that has all the resources and legal protection to carry the functions outsourced to WE at a great expense thus involving PBS in a double bill. PBS cannot outsource their constitutional obligation of impartiality to a very partial private contractor.

WE`s` choice of subjects for discussion and the way these subjects are analysed leave no doubt in Labour`s mind that WE are being faithful to the government`s agenda. I had further proof of this in Bondi+ this week when instead of discussing the scandal of the cover-up of the Sciberras Grioli leak and the favours he reportedly received in acknowledgement, Bondi+ focussed most of the programme trying to pin fault on an administrative process by the Housing Authority in 1998 that has already been cleared by various impartial bodies.

I have been criticising Azzopardi for avoiding the agenda of the Mid-Med sale Scandal and the Daewoo scandal whilst being quick to take on agenda subjects which favour the government or disfavour the opposition. Three years have not been long enough time for Peppi to schedule such discussion.` Then in yesterday`s KULLHADD, the first after the MLP announced the non-participation directive in WE programmes, they wrote to inform me that I will soon be receiving their invitation.` They are not only partisan but also offensive.

WE, and especially XARABANK, are invariably and misrepresentedly favoured in MBA audience`s survey as if there is the hand of God always working in the audience numbers to their advantage. In Feb. 2001 the survey was held in the heat of the La Salle issue which favour Xarabank with a very hot discussion topic of such national importance as meriting a rare PM`s TV address to the nation. In October 2001 they were favoured by running the survey on the day when Super One TV had their competing product massacred to give way to MLP extraordinary general conference.

MLP has every right to defend itself from the misrepresentation being engineered by WE.` If our budding journalists who are on WE`s payroll pretend that they can label Marxist the MLP purely for using the right of self-defence and staying mum when the PN boycotts all discussion on Super One media, than everyone is free to destroy one`s own credibility.

Alfred Mifsud