CODE ON THE CORRECT USE OF THE MALTESE LANGUAGE ON THE BROADCASTING MEDIA REGULATIONS

CODE ON THE CORRECT USE OF THE MALTESE

LANGUAGE ON THE BROADCASTING MEDIA

SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 350.10

CODE ON THE CORRECT USE OF THE MALTESE

LANGUAGE ON THE BROADCASTING MEDIA

REGULATIONS

26th March, 2010

LEGAL NOTICE 180 of 2010.

The title of these regulations is the Code on the Correct

Use of the Maltese Language on the Broadcasting Media

Regulations.

Code on the Correct Use of the Maltese Language

on the Broadcasting Media

The title of this code is the Code on the Correct Use of the

Maltese language on the Broadcasting Media.

Broadcasters shall have the duty to use the Maltese

language correctly by

(a) understanding their responsibility in safeguarding the

Maltese language;

(b) complying with developments taking place in the

Maltese language, whether spoken or written,

especially in the case of journalists;

(c) ensuring that proper translations and adjustments are

carried out based on the fundamental principles of

translation;

(d) assisting persons who participate in a programme and

also stopping participants who do not use the Maltese

language correctly;

(e) monitoring programmes for the correct use of the

Maltese language, especially educational, informative

and children’s programmes;

(f)

ensuring that the Maltese language used is of a high

level as to diction, semantics, grammar, syntax,

morphology and content;

(g) ensuring a good command of all the aspects of the

Maltese language so that the final result will be a

unified one, well linked and comprehensible;

(h) using with due care all neologisms which make way

into the Maltese language and, where possible,

according to the existing morphology of the Maltese

language;

(i)

using the Maltese language correctly without recourse

to archaic diction; and

(j)

using words which are clear and easy to understand.

Each station that broadcasts programmes in the Maltese

CODE ON THE CORRECT USE OF THE MALTESE

LANGUAGE ON THE BROADCASTING MEDIA

language shall be responsible

(a) to have its own consultant who holds a recognized

University degree in the Maltese language or who is

recognized by the Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ilsien Malti

as having the sufficient knowledge and experience in

the use of the Maltese language. In any case, the said

consultant shall be approved by the Broadcasting

Authority;

(b) to follow the rules and directives issued by the Kunsill

Nazzjonali tal-Ilsien Malti in so far as the use of the

Maltese language is concerned;

(c) for the correct use of the Maltese language in every

broadcast in the Maltese language;

(d) to observe any condition imposed in a broadcasting

licence requiring that the Maltese language be used in

a proper manner; and

(e) to broadcast at least one programme over a period of

three consecutive months intended to advance the

Maltese language. The station shall inform the

Broadcasting Authority of the date and time of such

broadcast and shall forward to the Broadcasting

Authority an electronic copy of the transmission not

later than seven days before the date of its

transmission. This programme shall not be of a lesser

duration than half an hour provided that it can be

broadcast within a number of segments in various

programmes, which segments shall not in their totality

be less than half an hour.

The Broadcasting Authority shall be responsible

(a) to ensure that broadcasting stations and broadcasters

comply with their duties in terms of this Code and the

rules and guidelines on the safeguard and proper use of

the Maltese language;

(b) to enforce the rules in this Code in a systematic,

regular and consistent manner;

(c) to publicize its national language policy;

(d) to compile and publish, from time to time, reports on

the situation of the Maltese language in the

broadcasting media;

(e) to assist representative organisations in the

broadcasting sector to achieve their aim of self-

regulation in so far as language is concerned; and

(f)

to engage monitoring personnel and to ensure that

these persons have a high level of understanding of the

Maltese language.

Nothing in these regulations shall invalidate any applicable

procedure whether written or oral which may have been made by

the Broadcasting Authority before the coming into force of this

CODE ON THE CORRECT USE OF THE MALTESE

LANGUAGE ON THE BROADCASTING MEDIA

Code.