Media on Wheels

“Wheels within wheels” is another revived catchphrase in the Plategate saga. Here J’accuse opens the doors to questions being asked about a possible new set of wheels within the media industry. Often accused of being PN or PL driven it could be that the demarcation lines are not so clearly red and blue.

First the declaration of interest – because there always is one (an interest). Our interest was piqued by the flurry of comments to our “Guild of the Dumb” post replying to Fr Joe Borg’s query in the Times pseudo-blog. Questions began to be asked on this blog (by the readers) as to whether Fr Borg has some form of undeclared bias in this exercise of “disquisitions on the ethics of the media”. Later on, as soon as the news was out that Lou Bondi of “the right to insult” fame is concocting a programme on Plategate even the motives of Lou Bondi were called into question.

J’accuse’s main interest is the Maltese blogging scene insofar as media and ethics are concerned. Having lived through the thick and thin of the maltese blogging climate, and as we approach the fifthiversary of the blog (x.iii.mmv) we are concerned that the medium of blogging is under an undeserved attack because of the impressions created by one particular blogger. We are of course also interested in the outcome of Plategate and what will be done with the allegations that have shifted some dust on the workings of the maltese political scene.

For those who still believe that Bondi’s programme tonight is to tackle blogging and blogs we can assure them that it will not. Bondi’s programme tonight is about Plategate or as Mr Bondi put’s it less succinctly in his facebook status updated at 9.55am today: “Il-blog ta’ Daphne Caruana Galizia, il-Magistrat Consuelo Scerri Herrera u il-Perit Robert Musumeci diskussi l-lejla f’Bondiplus.”

So there you have it. BondiPlus will “discuss”  The Runs, Magistrate Scerri Herrera and Perit Musumeci. That’s a very specific subject. It’s not about public or private persons or, for all that matter, the nature of blogs.

It would seem that blogs are not under discussion at all – one would hope that had they been under discussion we would have received at the very least, a set of questions to answer – J’accuse being what it is. We can guarantee that we have not been contacted in any way with regard to this programme.

The rumour mill has it however that Fr Borg wil be a guest on this programme. You cannot help but wonder in what quality. As a media guru? To discuss what? Daphne’s handling of a blog? Well in that case let us hope he has at least read last Sunday’s J’accuse on the Indy. If netiquette and the media are not going to be discussed then I guess this must be the use of BondiPlus to plug more of Daphne’s “wheels within wheels” campaign. In which case Lou might do well by starting with a declaration of interest himself.

Maltastar, not the very best of news sources, reports that Lou Bondi, PN International Secretary John Bonello, former PN President Victor Scerri and Times Editor Ray Bugeja were all present at Magistrate Scerri Herrera’s infamous party. That’s the same party where the Magistrate made the by now famous announcement that resulted in Plategate. As I type, the fav topic on the Runs this week is a constant attack on the daughter of President George Abela and her having been present at Magistrate Herrera’s parties. Apparently that is an indication (though not an allegation – according to the Runs) of wheels within wheels – at least the Runs says so.

What the Runs has not said anywhere (quite conveniently might I add) is that the presenter of tonight’s discussion programme has been linked to the same party that is at the source of these discussions. Should Mr Bondi be telling his viewers this before the programme starts? Will Fr Joe Borg ask Lou to do so? What are we to understand from all this?

J’accuse has no problem with the links and connections and interests of the various stakeholders – political, judicial and journalistic – being made clear to all and sundry. So long as the interest and bias is transparent then we can expect a clear discussion as well as appropriate action to be taken under the rule of law. The rule of law.

What we cannot stand is the hypocritical statements and ad hominem arguments. Fr Borg’s article claiming a silence in the media when there was all but silence was a case in point. The pick’n’mix of opinions and guests on tonight’s Bondiplus could be another. As I said on Sunday this country needed a scandal of this proportion if only to get the real wheels of change moving. It will be important not get sidetracked by the false revolutionaries and by those who will only feed on the controversy to push their own agenda.

The judiciary has had some of its rot potentially exposed. The political establishment too. We doubt people have been duped into thinking that the fourth estate is completely clear from this rot.

The questions are being asked everywhere… as we speak. Thanks to Daphne Lou might have struck a goldmine (an excerpt from the questions Lou is getting about the programme):