Bernard Grech Doesn’t Want To Close Down NET But Refuses To Rule It Out Entirely
Opposition Leader Bernard Grech has said he wants to keep the party’s TV station NET running but refused to definitively rule out closing it down to help the PN pay off its outstanding debt.
“Both political parties are in debt and I was clear and authentic about the PN’s debt because we need the courage to do what is necessary,” Grech told the press today, referring to his recent announcement that the PN is €32 million in debt.
“I don’t want to sell out każini, leave Dar Ċentrali or close down NET, even because there is a huge deficit in broadcasting with the PL running PBS.”
“However, we must look at creative ways for our party station and assets to function with fewer costs, and I’m ready to consider everything but not necessarily closing the station down.”
The Dar Ċentrali offices of NET
PL’s ONE and PN’s NET have been reported to be €10 million and €12 million in debt and neither company has filed audited accounts in more than a decade.
Lovin Malta has filed a constitutional case challenging a proviso in the law that effectively allows ONE and NET to bypass their constitutional obligations for impartiality on the grounds that their political coverage balances each other out.
A website, Kaxxaturi.com, has also been set up to explain the details of the case and why Lovin Malta decided to open it in the first place.
Grech was asked today whether this proviso means ONE will have to start respecting its constitutional obligations for impartiality if NET closes down.
He adopted a cautious stance, stating that “this is a legal argument that has often been made, including in court”.
“I think we should take these kind of decisions for the sake of the party’s political health to reduce tribalism, even in the style of our programs, the type of questions we ask and the way we report the news – this should be the case for all media, but particularly political media.
“It’s important to maintain a respectable level of ethics for the good of political health.”
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