I spent most of yesterday discussing the politics and prospects of a small southern European country which, yes, has its problems but deals with them in a mature, sophisticated way.

Namely Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In particular, the way in which the Bosnian media on all sides go out of their way to get facts right, and cover fairly and accurately what people say, is legendary. As is the fact that on the few occasions they get things wrong, they quickly admit the error and publish prominent and generous corrections.

That’s the tip-top professional way to do it.

Then there’s Malta.

For a moment there I thought the Malta media had moved away from the fascinating World News of how I showed a small group of officials the benefit of writing short sentences.

Like this one.

Or this.

No.

I was wrong.

Maltastar decides that the best way to get out of its hole is to dig all the deeper:

However, the news of the Prime Minister employing a foreign advisor was only revealed by newspaper Kullhadd on Sunday, saying that Charles Crawford had advised the Prime Minister to have backbenchers twinned with ministers.

Mr Crawford denied having a meeting with the Prime Minister or that he is giving any advises to the Gonzi administration.

So far he found all the time to answer to questions put forward to him by the Nationalist media, but has not been available to comment on One News because he was busy with Mother’s Day celebrations

Official Communique to Maltastar:

The ‘news’ revealed by Kullhadd concerning me was not true, as you know.

As you also know, I did not ‘comment’ on One News because the request to do so was so amateurish and not even obviously from Malta. As and when I am sent a professional request for a comment by any Malta media outlet, I’ll be pleased to consider it.

Finally, I sent a Comment to your website in response to your nonsensical reporting about me, giving the facts. But (as of 0900 on 17 March) you have not posted it. How feeble is that?

Daphne Caruana Galizia says ‘read this and weep’:

You can tell from Charles Crawford’s blog that he doesn’t know what hit him, and that the island is thick with loonies. He is completely perplexed by the fact that Maltastar (lucky for him he can’t read KullHadd or listen to One News) keeps repeating that he has refused to answer questions, when nobody has asked him any…

How exactly do these people reason, if they reason at all? Don’t they understand that internet is not like a newspaper – that anyone who is on the internet reading Maltastar can tap in a second into the original source – Charles Crawford’s blog – and find there not just his categorical denial of Maltastar’s lies, but also the facts and best of all, a gently mocking description of Glenn Dangerfield of One News.

But it’s not just Maltastar which has some issues.

Here is the Malta Independent Online trying to sum up what I have been saying. And failing miserably:

Judicial nominations should be subject to public scrutiny – Crawford …‘Malta. Never a dull moment’

Amid one of the most recent political sagas – the Labour Party media’s claims that the government has appointed British consultant Charles Crawford, particularly to provide advice with regard to ways of dealing with the dissenting Nationalist MPs – Mr Crawford has written some interesting content about Malta in his blog.

He sums up one of his articles very simply: “Malta. Never a dull moment”, and among other things, he mentions Malta’s judiciary, saying, “It is quite clear from this mess that the entire system needs a rigorous overhaul”.

The former diplomat proposes that the nominations for the appointment of magistrates and judges should be made public and subject to public scrutiny [emphasis added].

Whaaaat are they talking about?

Ah ha! They are looking at an earlier blog posting of mine when I linked to a passage from Daphne as an example of lively writing in the Maltese blogosphere. Then they they are ascribing her words to me! And making that their headline.

Far beyond incompetent.

And what about this even more startling passage:

As regards whether or not he has really been appointed consultant to the government, so far we can only rely on his own and the government’s dismissal.

Excuse me? Did I hear that one correctly?

You have ‘only’ my word as to what I did in Malta?

Are you saying that I am lying, or being shifty or evasive?

Maybe that is the default position Malta Independent Online takes towards Maltese citizens. I do not appreciate it being applied to me.

I hereby invite Malta Independent Online to publish a speedy prominent apology and correction.

I also invite Daphne Caruana Galizia as a fellow blogger to make clear on her own site that the words ascribed to me in MIO about the Maltese judiciary are in fact her words, not mine.

Nevjerovatno.