In Malta, the Nationalist Party has accused the national broadcaster, PBS, of 'censoring' them by providing significantly imbalanced coverage of the two major political parties. According to official statistics from a Broadcasting Authority hearing, between March 29, 2023, and February 22, 2024, there were 351 sound bites associated with the ruling Labour Party and the government, compared to only 27 sound bites related to the Nationalist Party and the opposition. The Nationalist Party has raised 11 complaints about this 'persistent imbalance' in the portrayal of the parties by the public broadcaster. Party officials argue that these figures demonstrate the harm PBS is causing to the public and highlight the mismanagement of the country's public broadcaster. This is not the first time the Nationalist Party has expressed concerns about biased coverage by PBS [0c00a588].
Recently, the Nationalist Party revealed that PBS was fined by the Broadcasting Authority for censoring the Opposition leader's message in Parliament. The party did not disclose the amount of the fine or the specific message that was censored [820ce857]. The Nationalist Party described the fine as evidence of PBS's systematic campaign to censor voices critical of the government and act as a propaganda machine for the Prime Minister. The party believes that the fine should be paid by the management of PBS, not from taxpayers' money. The Nationalist Party plans to take action until PBS becomes a true public broadcaster.
The accusations made by the Nationalist Party highlight the ongoing concerns about biased coverage and censorship by PBS. The party believes that PBS is not providing fair and balanced coverage of the political parties, and instead, is favoring the ruling Labour Party. The Nationalist Party has been raising complaints about this issue, and the recent fine imposed on PBS by the Broadcasting Authority further supports their claims of censorship. The party asserts that PBS should be held accountable for its actions and that it should operate as a true public broadcaster, providing impartial coverage to all political parties [820ce857].
In a separate incident, GB News host Andrew Pierce has criticized the Welsh Parliament for paying £250,000 to block GB News from its televisions. Last October, the Welsh parliament was accused of 'censorship' after using a system to ban GB News. A spokesperson for the Presiding Officer at the time said the decision had been taken because the channel was 'contrary to our parliament’s values.' The Welsh Parliament paid £233,000 for the new software. Andrew Pierce calls it 'outrageous' and questions the use of taxpayers' money to prevent a recognized broadcaster. Penny Mordaunt, Leader of the House of Commons, spoke out in support of GB News in October [af85e072].
Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, the government has condemned the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for smearing the city's laws on safeguarding national security with false accusations in its report on the sentencing of protestors involved in the 'black-clad violence' in 2019. The government spokesman stated that the BBC report disregarded the purpose of the national security law and slandered it with false accusations. The report attempted to mislead people into believing that the law makes it easier to prosecute protesters. The government clarified that prosecutions would only be commenced with sufficient evidence and in the public interest. The government's statement was in response to the BBC report [cef14c40].