Ċensura mill-PBS fuq il-President ta’ Malta meta jitkellem kontra l-abort.
Il-Life Network Foundation, Doctors for Life u I See Life, f’isem l-koalizzjoni Inti Tista’ Ssalvani, li qed tmexxi l-kampanja kontra l-introduzzjoni tal-abort f’Malta, kitbu lill-PBS u lill-Awtorità tax-Xandir skond l-Att dwar ix-Xandir. Il-koalizzjoni qed tilmenta fuq iċ-ċensura li saret mill-PBS, fis-servizz tal-aħbarijiet li deher fuq TVM nhar is-26 ta’ Jannar 2023, dwar dak li qal l-Eċċellenza Tiegħu l-President tar-Repubblika ta’ Malta fil-kommemorazzjoni tal-Olokawst.
Il-kamra tal-aħbarijiet tal-PBS iddeċidiet li tirraporta kull ma qal il-President f’din l-attivita’ apparti dak li qal fuq l-abort. Il-President qal waqt din l-attivita’ li “miljuni ta’ trabi mhux imwielda qed jinqatlu qabel biss ikollhom il-possibbiltà li jaraw id-dawl tal-jum”. Dan l-istatement qawwi minn naħa tal-President kien jimmerita attenzjoni u l-fatt li l-PBS iddeċieda li ma jirraportax dan, partikolarment fiċ-ċirkustanzi preżenti huwa attentat ta’ ċensura fuq il-President.
Dan mhux l-ewwel kaz fejn il-Kamra tal-aħbarijiet tal-PBS għażlet li tkun selettiva u tiċċensura r-rapportaġġ tagħha. Hekk sar ukoll fil-każ tas-Sinjura Prudente fejn il-kamra tal-aħbarijiet tal-PBS iċċensurat għal kollox dak li qalu t-tobba.
Dan kollu huwa bi ksur tal-provediment ċar tal-Kostituzzjoni ta’ Malta apparti mill-provedimenti fil-liġi tax-Xandir li jestendu dan l-obbligu direttament fuq ix-xandir pubbliku u li jimponu fuqu l-obbligu li jħares li s-servizzi tal-aħbarijiet tiegħu jkunu oġġettivi u komprensivi. Dan ma jistax isir jekk ix-xandar pubbliku flok ma jservi ta’ strument tal-għoti tal-informazzjoni kollha li għandu dritt għaliha l-poplu, jkun strument ta’ ċensura.
Għal dawn ir-raġunijiet, qed nitolbu li jkun irrapurtat bla ċensura dak li qal l-Eċċellenza Tiegħu, il-President ta’ Malta, it-tabib Dr George Vella. Kopja tal-ilment intbagħat lill-Awtorità tax-Xandir skond l-Kodiċi għall-Investigazzjoni u għad-Determinazzjoni ta’ Ilmenti (Leġislazzjoni Sussidjarja 350.06).
English
PBS censorship of the President of Malta when speaking against abortion.
Life Network Foundation, Doctors for Life and I See Life, on behalf of the Inti Tista’ Ssalvani coalition, the leading campaign against the introduction of abortion in Malta, wrote to PBS and the Broadcasting Authority in regard to the Broadcasting Act. The coalition is complaining about the censorship carried out by PBS, in the news service that appeared on TVM on 26th January 2023, about what His Excellency The President of the Republic of Malta said in commemoration of the Holocaust.
The PBS newsroom decided to report everything the President said apart from what he said about abortion. The President said during this engagement that “millions of unborn babies are being killed before they even have the possibility to see the light of day”.
This strong statement from the President deserved attention and the fact that PBS decided not to report this, particularly in the present circumstances is an attempt to censor the President.
This is not the first case where the PBS newsroom has chosen to be selective and censor its reporting. This was also done in the case of Ms. Prudente where PBS newsroom completely censored what the doctors said.
All this is in violation of the clear provision of the Constitution of Malta as well as the provisions in the Broadcasting law which extend this obligation directly to the public broadcaster and which impose on it the obligation to ensure that the services of its news are objective and comprehensive. This cannot be done if the public broadcaster, instead of serving as an instrument to provide all the information to which the people have a right, is an instrument of censorship.
For these reasons, we are asking that what His Excellency The President of Malta, Dr. George Vella said, be reported without censorship.
A copy of the complaint was sent to the Broadcasting Authority in accordance with the Code for the Investigation and Determination of Complaints (Subsidiary Legislation 350.06).
