Valletta (Brussels Morning) – The European Parliament Office in Malta contests a Broadcasting Authority directive limiting reports on President Roberta Metsola, sparking criticism from her party for alleged censorship and concerns over media impartiality.
The European Parliament Office in Malta has asked the Broadcasting Authority to discontinue a directive it issued which effectively restricts reports regarding its president Roberta Metsola.
In a letter to the BA, the European Parliament Office in Malta expressed it has been informed of a directive administered by the Broadcasting Authority.
According to Malta Today, the directive says in its 4th paragraph: “4 (IV) Any reporting or any information from the European Parliament or any report which has to do with the President of the European Parliament needs to be reported with caution. Any such reports should focus on the news value of the story and whether the issue is a current and topical one.”
“In this regard, the European Parliament Office in Malta would like to request the immediate suspension of the Directive, to allow the Office in Malta to consult with the European Parliament Legal Service, in order to ensure that the rights of the institution in Malta are protected, as the Directive could impair the work of the media in covering the incoming European Elections,” the letter stated.
The European Parliament Office in Malta added that It is of essence to ensure that all EU citizens are delivered with information on the significance and the stakes of these elections to come and that the function of its President in liaising with EU residents, in all Member States, is ensured, the letter concluded.
How Does Metsola’s Party Respond to Restrictions?
The directive has attracted outrage from Metsola’s party, the Nationalist Party which marked the directive as anti-democratic and shameful. The PN interpreted the laws as censorship of the EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola, who named the BA’s decision “anti-democratic”.
“No democratic country has ever issued this kind of regulation against the European Parliament, the President of the European Parliament and its members, who are all democratically elected,” the PN states. “The BA order for Roberta Metsola not to be reported by the media was issued because she is Maltese.”
What Concerns Arise Over Media Impartiality?
They expressed the rules run counter to the democratic values the country must uphold. “Therefore, the Nationalist Party is calling on the Authority to instantly withdraw these rules, which run counter to freedom of the press and broadcasting,” it stated. “The BA should never serve as a gatekeeper for those trying to block the EP President’s work in Brussels.”
The Broadcasting Authority, comprising candidates from the PN and the Labour Party, while the chairperson is handpicked by the prime minister, has been condemned for its lack of impartiality and fairness in broadcasting.
Are MEP Candidates Experiencing Exclusion from Debates?
The dominance of the two main parties in Malta’s media landscape eternalises a lack of diversity and stifles independent concerns, with independent MEP candidate Arnold Cassola recently presenting concerns over his exclusion from critical broadcast debates ahead of the upcoming elections.
