BA fines RTK for refusing to invite far-right candidates during MEP election campaign
Broadcasting Authority fines church radio station RTK103 €4,660 for refusing to invite candidates of the far-right party Imperium Europa on ‘Andrew Azzopardi on RTK103’ during the MEP election campaign
The Broadcasting Authority has fined church radio station RTK103 €4,660 for refusing to invite candidates of the far-right party Imperium Europa on “Andrew Azzopardi on RTK103” during the MEP election campaign.
“The BA is imposing far-right party views,” the station said in an article penned on church-owned news site Newsbook.
This is the second fine handed to the radio station, after it was fined €6,410 after host Andrew Azzopardi had said on air that he would not allow Lowell to express his views on his programme.
“Ironically, on a number of occasions, broadcasters have been fined after they actually invited Lowell and allowing him to express the views that led RTK103 to refuse to invite him on its broadcasts,” the station said.
READ ALSO: ‘Nazism? It was alright at the time…’ says holocaust-denier Lowell
RTK103 is operated by the Beacon Media Group, which also operates Newsbook.com.mt. As it – and the newsroom – had done last January, it highlighted Lowell’s history of problematic statements, which saw him receive a suspended jail term for fomenting racial hatred.
A Nazi-apologist, Norman Lowell has a history of racist and xenophobic statements, including published calls for widespread ethnic cleansing on a global scale.
“Such writings and statements were explicitly cited by the Courts when he was sentenced to a suspended jail term for inciting racial hatred in 2013. Over the years, the Broadcasting Authority has even fined broadcasters for inviting Lowell and allowing him to air such views,” RTK103 said.
In its decision dated 21 August, the BA had actually acknowledged the station’s editorial decision not to invite any candidates contesting last June’s European Parliament elections on its programmes. RTK103 also complied with the BA’s directive to inform the authority’s CEO Joanna Spiteri about each guest, and had received no objection to the list of guests sent prior to each programme.
READ ALSO: Norman Lowell interview turns Hitler-fest as F Living gives far-rightist free rein
“But as it acted on Imperium Europa’s complaint, the authority effectively ended up fining the station over a choice of guests it had not objected to – despite being given every opportunity to do so,” RTK103 said. “Once more, the BA refused RTK103’s request to exclude its board secretary Adriano Spiteri from participating in the case: Spiteri was Imperium Europa’s general secretary as recently as 2022.”
in Adriano Spiteri’s presence, RTK103 noted, “the Broadcasting Authority deemed that it ought to force RTK103 to express views it is completely against,” in what it described as a “clear breach of its right to freely express itself.”
Joanna Spiteri also confirmed that the charges were issued following a report by its own programme monitoring unit. On the basis of this, however, RTK103 questioned why its request to have the individuals concerned testify was refused.
The station reiterated its belief that the authority’s directive to ensure “a wide representation of different opinions” was fully respected throughout the electoral campaign, with over 60 guests with a wide variety of opinions taking part in the discussions, even as all electoral candidates were excluded.
RTK103 is seeking the public’s help to continue its legal battle against what it described as the BA’s “repeatedly biased decisions,” urging supporters to donate on GoGetFunding.
“As it continues to act as judge, jury, and executioner with impunity, the Broadcasting Authority is also unashamedly interfering with the media’s editorial freedom and its refusal to fuel racial hatred,” the station said.
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