PBS News Staff Is ‘Restricted’ Due To BA Regulations, Former TVM Head Says
Former TVM news head Reno Bugeja said that the PBS news staff are often restricted due to the Broadcasting Authority’s regulations during an interview on the Azzopardi Show.
These regulations are supposed to apply to all broadcasters, however, Bugeja claimed that PBS was particularly scrutinised by the authority.
Such rules include impartiality, for instance.
Bugeja further explained that during his tenure there was no censorship – something that civil society group Republikka stated exists within the public broadcaster as a tool for the government to restrict critics.
Bugeja said that critical voices, such as Repubblika members and Manuel Delia, were invited to be on TVM during his time as the station’s editor and head of news.
Despite declining allegations of censorship during his seven-year tenure, he stated that he cannot comment on what is happening today.
Bugeja also dismissed political party broadcasters as fuelling a “propagandist message” yet admitted that they drain the political parties of their resources that could go into policy research instead.
Nonetheless, he stated that he was unsure of whether they should remain or not.
What do you make of Bugeja’s comments?
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