‘PBS has been taken over by the Labour Party’ - PN

The Public Broadcasting Services has been converted into a propaganda machine for the Labour

Party and Prime Minister Robert Abela, the Nationalist Party said.

Addressing the media, PN Deputy Leader David Agius said that the PBS is being used by Abela in order to alter news in his favour. “This is being done by using public funds from our taxes in order to promote the Labour Party message above all else,” he said.

Agius also said that the government is employing close friends of the government and the Labour Party in high ranking positions within the PBS. “This is being done in order for the people to receive the tailored message that the Labour Party wants to send, rather than the truth.”

Agius then focused on PBS channel TVM 2. “This channel has changed from a channel focused on art, science and culture into a channel focused on the Labour Party propaganda months away from a general election,” he said.

Agius said that in the recent days, multiple PBS employees have approached the PN in confidentiality in order to tell them about the future plans PBS has in mind in order to broaden their audience for “a more efficient propaganda machine both before the budget and also the general election.”

Democracy requires that a balance is reached between government and opposition when it comes to the public broadcasting. “This is important for the public to be in the knowhow of everything that goes on, as is the right of every citizen living in a democratic country,” Agius said.

Agius then said that during news bulletins, the opposition is given limited time and at the end of the bulletin. He also said that thought the past months, it was noticed that numerous PN press conferences and press releases were not covered by PBS, in cases where they were covered, it would be given the least importance at the end of the bulletin, Agius claimed.

Examples were also given by Agius which state that during the 8pm news bulletin, PN related news was given less than 10% of the time where PL news was always given in access of 50% of the news.

“These are clear examples of biased news bulletins in favour of one side. This is a worrying fact in a democratic country. We are holding PBS to account,” Agius said in his closing statement.