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MT 24 April 2016

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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 24 APRIL 2016 15 tin Gatt one-on-one on several oc- casions. If you read the BA's ruling, you will see that it acknowledges this; in fact, it found no imbalance in the programme. A one-on-one interview is an important journalis- tic tool. The important thing, how- ever, is that the journalist isn't just a platform for the interviewee… as tends to happen when political party stations interview their own leaders. People who know me, know the line of questioning I take…." Mizzi knew this too, yet he still avoided answering many of Bugeja's questions… this was also pointed out in the BA's ruling. He nods. "Yes: like all politicians, when you ask him about 'X', he will try and answer about 'Y' to change to subject. But you can watch the programme; it's still online. I always tried to steer the discussion back on subject. It's like having your hands on the steering wheel… with all pru- dence, you do your best to stay on track. The BA acknowledged this too; that is why it rejected the de- mand for a compensatory one-on- one with the PN…" Would that be such a bad thing? Why not interview both? "I have no problem with doing an interview with someone from the PN; but you have to have a topic for the interview. The hard truth is that most of the questions have to be asked of government. There are questions to ask the opposition, too; and when we can, we make the space to ask those questions. But there is no escaping the fact that most often you will need to interview a govern- ment minister. If the topic was trans- port, for instance… the interview has to be with Transport Minister Joe Mizzi. He's the person I would need to press. There would be no point in having someone there only to criti- cise. But when, for instance, the PN came out with its governance pro- posals, I had an interview with Beppe Fenech Adami to discuss them. I see nothing extraordinary about that…" Nor does Bugeja see much differ- ence between the present crisis and all other times, when it comes to the number or frequency of complaints. "I probably have a record on this, too," he says, pointing towards that boxfile I mentioned earlier. "These are all the complaints I've received in the three years I've been head of news. It's an entire volume. But if you look at how many of these com- plaints actually made it before the BA board, it's only a tiny fraction… He breaks off to explain the com- plaints mechanism: "When there is a complaint, you first give your jus- tifications or response; then it's up to the complainant, if dissatisfied with the answer, to pursue it with the BA board…" This rarely happens, then? "Most times – and I find this very disappointing – in order to under- mine our credibility, they come out saying they filed a complaint, and just stop at that. Often they don't even bother to take it any further. You can look at the file; it indicates which complaints went before the board, and which didn't…. " As for the few complaints that did get examined by the board, Bugeja takes pride in noting that they all were rejected. "I have never been found guilty of imbalance. Of some shortcoming here and there, yes… like I said earlier, no one is perfect. There were times when I should have decided things differently. But imbalance is another story. The authority has never given out any remedy for imbalance in the last three years… neither on the news or on current affairs programmes." Would he argue, then, that these complaints are directly intended to discredit him? "Let me put it this way: attacks on my credibility are taking place. I believe that people within the PN have expressed disagreement with these attacks. But let's be honest, it has always been the norm for the opposition to target the national broadcaster's credibility, whoever is in opposition. And the truth is, I'm approaching retirement age… I've only got a few more years left, after being here 40 years. After a while you start seeing a pattern in how these attacks work… This week's complaint about Al- fred Sant is once more the example. "There is always a complaint when the latest BA surveys are published, especially when the reports are positive… as was the case this week. Sant made his Facebook comment on Monday, but the complaint it- self was only made on Wednesday: the day after the survey results were published, to detract from the find- ings." He admits it can be frustrating at times. "You do get feedback, from extremists within the parties. It's annoying, I'll not deny it." One other effect is to keep the two parties themselves the centre of at- tention. This in turn brings up a thorny issue for PBS: being the na- tional broadcaster, it also has an ob- ligation to broadcast for the benefit of the entire nation... not just for its two largest political parties. In 2014, the BA came out with a directive concerning coverage of 'fringe parties'… since then, at least two new ones have emerged: Mar- lene Farrugia's party, and the Partit Patrijotti Maltin? Does PBS live up to this part of its remit? Is it even logistically feasible to give equal coverage to them all? Bugeja admits that the changing spectrum of Maltese politics poses a dilemma for the national broad- caster. "Let me be clear: we have always given space to third parties. But there are parties and parties. AD, for instance, has a track record. We do not ignore them; in fact, we've never had a complaint from AD in the last three years. The situation is however changing. Let me give you an example: 'Alleanza Bidla' has filed a complaint over Saviour Balzan's 'Reporter'. Has anyone stopped to consider that Alleanza Bidla – which has only contested one election – might not be a func- tioning party anymore? Especially at a time when we're not even in an election campaign? And how much space should I give to it? If I give Al- leanza Bidla so much space… do I have to give the same space to the Partit Tal-Ajkla? Then there's the Partit Patrijotti Maltin, the Com- munist Party… It's a dilemma. Well, if you ask any of those par- ties, they'd certainly agree with more airtime. And why not, any- way? Wouldn't exclusion of such views – however bizarre or down- right loonie some of them may be – not also mean a monopoly of public airtime by the traditional parties? And isn't there a danger that genu- ine political movements may be lumped in the same category as no-vote wonders like tal-Ajkla? I interviewed Marlene Farrugia last week… she certainly doesn't con- sider her new party in that catego- ry…. "I admit it's a difficult situation. Where do you draw the line? As regards Marlene Farrugia, however, we did give publicity to the fact that she is forming a new party. We in- vited her as a guest on a wide variety of programmes. Ultimately, it boils down to the credibility of the party in question with the electorate." Interview Is PBS being stretched out in a tug of war between government and opposition? Veteran broadcaster RENO BUGEJA counters criticism of bias and imbalance by pointing towards a history of consistency PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS MANGION "I have letters from all campaign managers – from Joe Saliba, for instance – thanking me for my work. So if they see me as a devil today, well, there was a time when I was an angel in their eyes..."

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