Watch: ‘Total Censorship’ – Peppi Azzopardi Breaks Down How TVM Has Killed Discussion
Veteran broadcaster Peppi Azzopardi has broken down how the government’s control over public discussion on TVM has grown significantly tighter in recent years.
Interviewed on NET, Azzopardi said the watershed moment came following Reno Bugeja’s retirement as head of news in July 2020. Azzopardi’s discussion show Xarabank was completely axed a few months later.
“When Reno Bugeja left, total control and censorship started and nowadays everything needs permission. Nowadays it’s not even like discussions take place in a biased manner, there is no discussion at all.”
As examples, he recounted how Xarabank had invited former Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami to face questions from striking Dockyard workers and his successor Lawrence Gonzi to respond to shoe factory employees after their workplace had shut down.
“Can you imagine that happening today with Robert Abela facing Air Malta workers? As if, it’s as though nothing happened at all.”
A recent policy change at TVM that has particularly stifled discussion obliges producers to have their topic and guest list vetted two weeks in advance, essentially killing off any discussion about hot topics.
“It’s become the History Channel,” Azzopardi said.
Do you agree with Azzopardi’s assessment?
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