The Broadcasting Authority has changed its mind a second time and is once again allowing the Nationalist Party's right of reply to Dissett to be aired.
The BA had initially accepted a three-minute right of reply by the PN to comments made by Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi in a Dissett edition in which he was the sole guest. But the BA later reversed its decision, citing legal issues.
Today, however, the BA has changed its mind again and is allowing the right of reply to be aired, insisting however that the PN takes all legal responsibilities should there be any complaints.
In a statement, the BA said that it had drawn the attention of the PN to legal issues linked with the content of the the right of reply as well as the possibility of imbalance.
But the BA "does not want to muzzle anyone" and wrote to the PN that if it insisted on a right of reply, this will be aired if the PN takes all legal responsibility for the content. It also reserved the right to take other steps.
In a statement received minutes after the BA's decision, the PN said the BA had made two u-turns that will go down in history for the amateurish way the chairperson of the BA took her decisions.
The PN said that the BA changed its mind again only after the PN had said it would take the matter to court unless the right of reply was aired.
This right of reply will be read tonight by programme presenter Reno Bugeja.
What happened this week is a clear example that the Labour government is trying to weaken and hijack independent institutions. It is with this in mind that the PN is proposing that BA members should be appointed with a two-thirds parliamentary majority.
from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/1RKDcf6
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