Press freedom is an essential element in a free society so that people can freely express views and criticise what they disagree with. This, however, is the right of every citizen and not the monopoly of journalists.

The Gibraltar Chronicle’s notion of freedom of expression appears to be that its journalists are free to criticise all and sundry but no one is entitled to criticise them for their views.

One recent example was the issue surrounding the controversial views expressed by Paco Oliva recently. Oliva, in a private column, expressed his personal views on the Miss World Contest and then exercised censorship on the views of others who disagreed with those views, by refusing to publish theirs.

On the occasion of the wonderful victory of our Miss Gibraltar in being crowned Miss World, Oliva wrote the following:

“In these grim, grey times we live in, where heterosexuality is often caricaturised as something passé [when not worse], any kind of competition which is centred around the idea of women freely dressing up to look beautiful, wearing make-up, pretty costumes and perfume to enhance their femininity, parading in swim-wear in other words making an effort to look attractive to heterosexual men is something to be welcomed and applauded.”

One reader who took issue with the sexist nature of his article wrote to the Chronicle on 16th of December 2009. Oliva refused to publish his letter depriving the readership of the Chronicle from the benefit of reading the contrary views to his which the writer of the letter expressed. The letter has now been passed on to us, asking that we publish it, given that the Chronicle has refused to do so. The letter reads as follows:

Dear Sir,

It takes a particularly twisted and somewhat sick mind to do the kind of analysis of the Miss World Contest that Paco Oliva produced this week.

It seems that Paco believes that in these grim, grey times in which we live in [what in Gibraltar grim, grey times?? With everything perfect and booming?], heterosexuality is out of fashion if not worse.

From this false premise he comes to the conclusion that the value of the Miss World Contest is that women parade to enhance their femininity to look attractive to heterosexual men, i.e. to arouse them sexually. Mr Oliva obviously discards the possibility that homosexual men might find beautiful women, beautiful. Nor does he consider that the effect he predicts the parade is intended to have on heterosexual males, could have a similar impact as the one he predicts, on homosexual women in the audience.

Of all the rubbish that one is used to reading in the prolific output of Paco, this little pearl deserves being ranked as the equivalent of being crowned Miss World. By the way, I am very heterosexual,

Yours faithfully,
Louis Tosso.

We publish this in defence of the freedom of the press and in rejection of the censorship exercised by Paco Oliva.

This censorship raises an important issue. If the editorial side of The Chronicle is saying that it should be rescued at public expense, should it not behave like a public institution instead of a private news sheet in which the self appointed holders of the monopoly of the truth have replaced the Garrison gentlemen officers of yesteryears?