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16 ta' Marzu 2007
Fuq il-lament tas-Sur Gejtu Vella - Segretarju Generali
tal-Unjoni Haddiema Maghqudin - kontra s-Sur Charlon Gouder illi
dan kiser dak li hemm f1-Artikolu 4 (k) tal-Kodici ta' l-Etika tal-Giornalizmu
billi t-telefonata li ghamillu s-Sur Gouder, dan minghajr ma avzah
li kien qed jirregistra l-istess, xandarha waqt il-Ahbarijiet tas-7.45pm
tal-25 ta' Ottobru 2006, fuq il-istazzjon Super One TV.
Is-Sur Gouder issottometta illi kien car li huwa kien qed jirregistra
t-telefonata u ghalhekk ma kienx hemm ghalfejn jinforma lis-Sur
Vella.
Is-Sur Gouder issottometta illi l-kaz huwa preciz bhal dak li kellu
kontra tieghu mis-Sinjura Elizabeth Vella fejn fit-3 ta' April 2006,
huwa ma nsabx hati ta' ksur ta' l-Etika.
Waqt id-diskussjoni quddiem il-Kummissjoni fuq il-lament mizjud
tas-Sur Vella li huwa zgur, li s-Sur Gouder ma talabx il-permess
tieghu biex jxandar dik il-konversazzjoni bit-telefon kontra dak
li hemm fl-Artikolu 4 (b) tal-Kodici.
Il-Kummissjoni - unanimament iddecidiet illi (a) filwaqt li tirrespingi
l-eccezzjoni fuq il-kaz tas-Sinjura Elizabeth Vella fejn is-Sur
Gouder kien gie liberat minn kull htija "peress li s-Sinjura
Vella u l-Avukat taghha ma pprezentawx prova audio-viziva tal-konversazzjoni
rekordjata jew xi provi ohra" u ghalhekk il-kaz ma japplikax
ghall-kaz prezenti; (b) ticcensura gravement lis- Sur Gouder anki
ghaliex huwa naqas, fl-istess sena, ghal aktar minn darba mill-obbligi
tieghu li josserva l-etika giornalistika.
KUMMISSJONI ETIKA GURNALISTIKA
RAPPORT MARZU 2004 - MARZU 2006
Membri tal-Kummissjoni sa April 2004
Chairman : Prim Imhallef Emeritus Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Mifsud Bonnici
Membri : Lino Bugeja
Anton Cassar
Antoine Ellul
Charles Mizzi
Dr. Klaus Vella Bardon
Segretary: Bjorn Ole Austad
Wara Marzu 2004 is-Segretarju tal-Kummissjoni, is-sur Bjorn Ole
Austad irtira mhabba mpenji personali u l-Istitut tal-Gurnalisti
Maltin hatar lis-sur Joe C. Cordina bhala Segretarju tal-Kummissjoni
Sadanittant is-sur Lino Bugeja gharaf lill Kummissjoni li ma setghax
ikompli bhala membru. Il-Kummissjoni gharfet lill Istitut tal-Gurnalisti
Maltin b'dan u l-Istitut minn naha tieghu wara ftit hatar lill Dr.
Stefano Filletti biex jimla din il-vaganza.
Membri tal-Kummissjoni wara April 2004
Chairman : Prim Imhallef Emeritus Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Mifsud Bonnici
Membri : Anton Cassar
Dr. Stefano Filletti
Antoine Ellul
Charles Mizzi
Dr. Klaus Vella Bardon
Segretarju : Joe C. Cordina
Peress li ghal xi zmien wara April 2OO4 il-vaganza li nholqot bir-rizenja
tas-sur Lino Bugeja kienet ghada ma hiex mimlija u allura l-Kummissjoni
kienet ghada ma gietx kostitwita kif suppost u li peress ukoll ma
kienx hemm ilmenti x'titratta, il-Kummissjoni ma ntaqghetx qabel
l-14 ta' Ottubru 2004. Wara din il-laqgha, l-Kummissjoni bdiet tiltaqqa
regolarment biex titratta l-ilmenti li tressqu quddiemha. Fil-fatt
sa' Marzu 2006 il-Kummissjoni intaqghet disgha darbiet ohra. Dawn
il-laqghat saru kollha fl-ufficini tal-Istitut tal-Gurnalisti Maltin
f'numru 104 Triq Zekka l-Belt.
ILMENTI LILL KUMMISSJONI
F'dan il-periodu, jigifieri minn April 2004 sa' Marzu 2006, il-Kummissjoni
irceviet tmien ilmenti u ttrattat seba'(7) minnhom peress li l-iehor
ma' kienx ta'kompitu taghha. Minn dawn is-seba' ilmenti il-Kummissjoni
ikkonkludiet tlieta, wiehed mill-ilmenti ma setghax ikompli jigi
ttrattat mill-Kummissjoni wara li din saret taf li min kien ghamel
l-ilment kien ukoll fetah kawza ta' libel fil-Qorti dwar l-istess
kaz u t-tlieta ohra ghadhom qed jigu ttrattati.
TAGHRIF QASIR DWAR KULL ILMENT
Ilment mis-sur Joe Saliba Segretarju tal-Partit Nazzjonalista u
Chairman tal-Kumpanija MediaLin k Communications, kontra il-gurnal
"L-Orizzont".
Is-sur Saliba llmenta li l-gurnal "L-Orizzont" xandar
storja qarrieqa dwar il-Kumpanija Media Link Communications fejn
permezz tat-titlu taghha l-gurnal ipprova jaghti mpressjoni li hi
storja fattwali u attwali u li biha setgha jaghmel u jista jaghmel
hsara kummercjali lill-kumpanija tal-Partit Nazzjonalista. Is-sur
Saliba kien ilmenta wkoll dwar atteggjament hazing tal-editur ta'
"L-Orizzont" ma gurnalist tal-Media.Link Communications
meta dan ipprova jintervistah dwar l-istorja.
Waqt li l-Kummissjoni Etika Gurnalistika kienet qed tittratta l-kaz,
giet maghrfa li s-sur Saliba kien ghamel libel lill gurnal "l-Orizzont
fuq l-istess kaz. Imhabba f'hekk il-Kummissjoni ddeciediet li l-kaz
issa ma' ghadux f'idejha imam f'idejn il-Qorti.
Ilment iehor kien mill-Assistant Kummissarju tal-pulizija, s-sur
Laurence Cauchi kontra l-gurnalista tal-Union Press, is-sur John
Pisani.
L-Assistant Kummissarju tal-Pulizija llmenta mal-Kummissjoni li
wara li l-pulizija kienu hargu stqarrija dwar qbid ta' hallelin
li kienu ghadhom kif wettqu serqa, il-gurnalista John Pisani meta
kiteb f'"L-Orizzont fuq il-kaz semmgha li l-oggetti misruqa
kienu nstabuu barra minnhekk is-sur Pisani zvela wkoll l-identita
tal-vittmi, zewg fatti li ma kienux imnizzla fl-istqarrija tal-pulizija.
Il-Kummissjoni ddecidiet li tiddizapprova dak li kiteb is-sur Pisani
u li ma kellu l-ebda dritt jassumi dawk bhala fatti ghax l-istqarrija
kienet tghid li l-kaz kien "solvut" u kienet tirreferi
biss ghal fatt li l-hallelin gew maqbuda. Il-Kummissjoni ddecidiet
ukoll li s-sur Pisani naqas minn dak li hemm fi klawsola seba(7)
tal-Kodici ta' Etika Gurnalistika u minn dak li hemm fil-klawsola
hamsa(5) ta' l-istess Kodici
Ilment iehor kien dak imressaq mis-Sur Joe Mifsud kontra s-Sur
Karl Stagno Navarra.
Is-sur Mifsud ilmenta illi fuq il-website www.MaltaRightNow.com,tas-19
ta' Ottubru 2005, Karl Stagno Navarra, kiteb artikolu intitolat
"MEP's Laburisti japprovaw impjieg irregolari bi hlas ta' Lm18,000,
John Attard Montalto jittermina l-kuntratt ta' Joe Mifsud ghaliex
kien irregolari," u f' dan l-artikolu l-istess Karl Stagno
Navarra, kiser dak li hemm fl-artikolu 4(c) u (m). Dawn jipprovdu
li gurnalist kellu l-obbligu li jivverifika jekk dak li gie msemmi
fl-artikolu kienx veru jew falz 4(c). Barra minn dan illi l-artiklu
irraporta fatti foloz, qarrieqa jew imghawwga 4(m)
Ghal Laqgha tal-Kummissjoni tat-Tnejn 12 ta' Dicembru 2005 attenda
biss is-sur Joe Mifsud u fl-assenza ta' Karl Stagno Navarra, l-istess
Joe Mifsud spjega illi l-gurnalist qabel kiteb l-artiklu ma vverifikax
mieghu fuq il-fatti allegati u dawn in parti kienu foloz u specjalment
meta nkiteb illi l-impjieg tas-sur Joe Mifsud kien "irregolari'
u mhabba f'hekk il-kuntratt li huwa kellu bhala ko-ordinatur tad-Delegazzjoni
tal-Partit Laburista fil-Parlament ta' l-Ewropa, gie terminat.
Il-Kummissjoni, fin-nuqqas ta' kontradizzjoni tas-sur Karl Stagno
Navarra iddecidiet illi s-sur Karl Stagno Navarra kiser id-disposizzjoniet
imsemmija tal-Kodici ta' Etika Gurnalistika ghal Gurnalisti u ghalhekk
iccensurat lis-sur Karl Stagno Navarra billi kiser l-obbligi etici
tieghu bhala gurnalist.
It-tliet ilmenti ohra peress li ghadhom qed jigu ttrattati ma'
huwiex il-kaz li jinghata taghrif dwarhom f'dan l-istadju
Ta' min josserva li l-Kummissjoni qed taghmel xoghol siewi wkoll
fil-limitu tar-risorsi taghha. Ta' min isemmi wkoll li l-Gurnali
ghandhom jghinu lill-KUMMISSJONI fil-hidma taghha u jippubblikaw
il-konkluzjonijiet tal-gudizzji taghha ghall-istess gid tal-gurnalismu
Malti.
Fl-ahhar wiehed ta' min jirringrazzja lill membri kollha tal-KUMMISSJONI
ghax xoghol siewi li qed jaghmlu u ghas-sehem taghhom ghat-titjieb
tal-gurnalismu f'pajjizna.
Wiehed xieraq li jirringrazzja wkoll lill dawk kollha li kkoperaw
mal-KUMMISSJONI fl-isforzi taghha biex tippromwovi l-livelli etici
mixtieqa fil-mezzi tal-medja f'Malta.
Prim Imhallef Emeritus Joe C. Cordina
Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Mifsud Bonnici Segretarju
Chairman
13th April 2004
On 4th February 2004 The Press Ethics Commission received a complaint
from Mr Jason Micallef, General Secretary of the Labour Party. His
objection was directed against what had appeared in 'Malta Today'
and in 'The Sunday Times' in their 1st of February editions, where
in the boxes usually used for advertisements, in addition to other
wording there appeared the following:
"The Malta Labour Party General Secretary, Jason Micallef,
wants to block the vote of students who were temporarily studying
abroad. He wants to annul the vote of workers who have left the
island for a short period in order to work or who are following
short training programmes. In the future he might turn on to you.
He might delve into your personal life to strike you off too."
Although these words appeared in what is usually used as an advertising
box, there was on the other hand no indication that what appeared
was an advertisement. Therefore the direct responsibility for the
same rests with the Editor. The Editor of 'The Sunday Times' declared
as soon as he realized that, for some reason or other the usual
notice of an advertisement had not appeared, a corrective statement
was published in the next weekly edition. This, however, was not
given any prominence, and it could easily be missed by the ordinary
reader.
The Commission considers that the underlined sentences in the quoted
text do not conform with correct journalistic ethics and disapproves
of the Editors' behaviour in this regards inasmuch as the words
used hit at the character of the person concerned in a negative
way inasmuch as that person can in the future, as he has done in
the present, delve in the reader's private life. Since the person
involved is the General Secretary of the Labour Party the charge
of a future interference in one's private life aggravates the matter.
The Commission shows its appreciation for the Editor of 'The Sunday
Times' who admitted that what appeared was indeed an advertisement,
thereby effectively disassociating himself from the authorship of
what was published although as noted the automatic responsibility
remains.
The Editor of 'Malta Today' decided that he should not collaborate
with the Commission in its efforts to safeguard Ethics of Journalism.
Bjørn Ole Austad
Secretary
Press Ethics Commission
29th April 2004
The Press Ethics Commission responds to the The
Sunday Times' editor's statement
Editor Laurence Grech of The Sunday Times stated in
a press release of Friday 16th April 2004 published in The Times
of 17th April and The Sunday Times of 18th April that he does not
accept the ruling of the Press Ethics Commission in the case of
Mr Jason Micallef's complaint against The Sunday Times. In response
to this the Press Ethics Commission wants to state the following:
The Press Ethics Commission rejects the accusation
of an unfair hearing. If during the enquiry the parties failed to
raise and debate certain points, the Press Ethics Commission cannot
be faulted. That was the parties' responsibility. As regards freedom
of expression one expects that it should respect the reputation,
the rights and freedoms of other persons. But over and above this,
ethics reach for a higher mode of behaviour than that which is tolerated
or allowed by the law. It is this higher consideration, which justifies
self-regulation by a Code of Ethics.
Bjørn Ole Austad
Secretary, Press Ethics Commission - Malta
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