PBS takes umbrage at TMI New Zealand editorial on Xarabank footage

 

State broadcaster PBS has taken umbrage at an editorial in this newspaper that had taken its editorial board and the Xarabank programme to task for airing clips of the Christchurch, New Zealand massacre.

The editorial, 'PBS, Xarabank owe all of New Zealand an apology', had acknowledged that the show did not show any actual killings, but showed the attacker driving in his car to the mosque and approaching it, and while it did not show any actual shooting, it even went as far as to show footage of worshipers in the mosque just before their lives were so mercilessly taken.

This, the editorial cites, comes from a State broadcaster days after Parliament held a minute of silence for the victims and after politicians from both sides of the House, and the Prime Minister himself, expressed sorrow, outrage and condolences to the victims and their families.

The following is PBS' full Right of Reply requested under the Press Act:

"PBS policy prohibits the broadcast of graphic footage.

"PBS has therefore investigated your claims and found that the Xarabank producers did not broadcast any images which show the execution of the terrorist attack.

"This prohibition must however be balanced with effective reporting of events which are of news value.

"The same edited footage was in fact broadcast on a wide spectrum of media all over the world.

"Moreover one has to consider the context in which this footage was broadcast.  The producers' clear intentions were to show the cruelty of such fanatic acts which lead to the tragic loss of lives.

"I therefore believe your Editorial of 27 March 2019 was grossly unfair, even more so since PBS's position was not reflected in the same article.

(Signed by) Reno Bugeja, Manager News & Registered Editor

 

Editorial note:

It seems the PBS editorial board and Mr Bugeja did not grasp, or have chosen to ignore, the gist of the editorial in question.  We are placing the onus on PBS as the country's State broadcaster, not as a private broadcaster.  That the footage aired did not show any actually taking of life is irrelevant, what it did was give exposure to the monster and his actions. Responsible broadcasters the world over have chosen to not air any such footage.

We invite PBS to reread the editorial in question.  We also invite PBS to specify which State, not private, broadcasters have showed similar footage.  Typically, PBS seems to think that if others have done it, it is fine for them to do it too.

We demand higher standards from our State broadcaster.

We believe the producer's gratuitous actions were orientated toward ratings, and not toward public education.

We ask, again, if this atrocity had taken place at a parish church in Malta, would Xarabank air the same clipped footage as it did in the case of the New Zealand atrocity?  Would Malta take umbrage if that footage were to be shown in another country if all of Malta had decided to ban it?

 

 

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