Since the introduction of the internet, the beloved printed news has taken a drastic fall. Since the introduction of Facebook, journalism has fallen victim to ridicule with low-quality content. And what do large media houses have left to do, other than to follow the 'trend'?
The next thing you know, 'Pigeon trying to cross the road, failed miserably.' Why are journalists not presenting facts and instead using their skills to entertain the public? Because that is what they want. Journalism is not merely informative anymore; it has become the storyteller for citizens. But why?
Well, for starters, it is not in the hands of journalists nowadays to find the story. Since the introduction of social media, the story has come to them. Given that Malta is a small island, all news portals cover the same story, always hungry for the next big thing to publish first. This may result in mistakes; one news portal might copy content from another, and the cycle continues. When facts are taken from Facebook, the source may be unreliable. The news portal may decide not to contact the author of the post for further details, resulting in a reportage of invented or half-true facts.
But when something original is published and we don't like it? We make sure to let the producers of the program know. As a whole, Malta doesn't like change; we criticize when things remain the same. We criticize journalists for not reporting facts as they are, for not being relevant. But when 'Xarabank' produced an original program, we prepared to attack because we considered it unethical.
Anyway, what do journalists in general know about etiquette? Certainly not something to be confused with truthful reporting and sugar-coating.
Let us, journalists, do our work, will you? Give us a break.
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