Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1187474
25 OPINION sources to accurately report on the state of any criminal inves- tigation. He himself is our only official source right now… and because he is not (and should not be) part of the investiga- tion, that makes his contribu- tions hearsay, at best. And if even this second-hand information is, in any case, full of holes – Muscat couldn't even tell us what charges, if any, were being contemplated against Yorgen Fenech: which is usually the first informa- tion any police media briefing would provide – well, he can hardly blame the media for do- ing their job, and trying to fill in the blanks themselves. This is, in fact, what has been happening for the two years since Daphne was murdered. All the speculation that has surrounded this case from the very beginning…. it all arises from the complete lack of reli- able official information, at all levels, everywhere. That farcical police press conference I mentioned earli- er? It was not the best of starts, I'll grant you… but it should really have been a springboard to beefing up the CMRU into something that can actually provide this all-important media briefing section. And even if it is too late, there is still time to ensure that the next major twists and turns will at least be commu- nicated to the media (however poorly) through the proper channels. The only alternative is for the media to continue doing what they are doing today: i.e., wildly joining all the dots in whichever way best suits their own agendas. And… well, speaking only for myself, I just don't think that's the right way to go. maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 NOVEMBER 2019 Simply put, prime ministers should play no part in any criminal investigation, in any shape or form, ever: regardless whether they're implicated in the case or not. There are, naturally, moments when prime ministers are fully justified in addressing the nation; but these do not extend to what should really have been a police media briefing, of the kind that never happens here at all