Broadcasting Authority turns down 6 complaints by Cassola; says status of ‘candidate’ doesn’t currently exist

The Broadcasting Authority has turned down six complaints by Arnold Cassola, citing the same reason for each one.

Cassola had filed a complaint against ONE NEWS for its lack of reporting on a statement that he had released on 16 March about the “abuse of three Prime Ministers, Joseph Muscat, Robert Abela and Lawrence Gonzi.” He had filed a complaint against ONE NEWS for its lack of reporting on a statement that he had released on 18 March about Parliamentary Secretary Chriss Bonett’s trip to London. He had filed a complaint against ONE NEWS for its lack of reporting on a statement that he had released on 19 March on whether anyone in the OPM was involved in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

He had also filed a complaint against ONE NEWS for its lack of reporting on a statement that he had released on 12 March 2023 as regarding the case of Jean Paul Sofia. He had filed a complaint against ONE News for its lack of reporting on a statement that he had released on 6 March as regarding a Constitutional Court decision. And he had also filed a complaint against ONE News for its lack of reporting on a statement that he had released on 15 March about illegal works at Fomm ir-Riħ.

The Broadcasting Authority has rejected all the complaints, citing the same grounds.

It said that while Cassola “signs as an independent candidate, this status presently does not exist.”

The Broadcasting Authority said that everyone has the right to issue statements, but said that it understands that there is editorial discretion, and that newsrooms have discretion to analyse the value of news. As such, the Board has denied his requests.