Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1324024
5 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 JANUARY 2021 OPINION SOMETIMES it seems that peo- ple have simply stopped reading beyond headlines or simplistic outbursts on social media. It is almost as if we facing some ca- lamitous societal challenge in which facts are ignored, and the younger generations are refus- ing to read books and newspa- pers and instead want to gaze into their smartphones. I'd say we once had ignorance. Now we have something worse: 'self-imposed illiteracy' and a generation with a superficial understanding of what is hap- pening around them, a poor ap- preciation of history and worst of all, an addiction to fake news. And that is quite something when being a news organisation means challenging untruths as well as publishing facts. It is something that at our media company, Mediatoday, whose newspapers are both print and online, has had to contend with. We technically 'compete' with, as well as work with social media. That is, so- cial media 'publishes' us, and we compete for attention inside a world where individual users get to say their piece unfiltered. For better or worse, it is a Bab- ylon of commentary, pontifica- tion, conspiracy, invention and gossip that lacks the journalistic art of verification. The Internet is what it is, and attention is no longer com- manded by news of course. In- stagram, Facebook, Snapchat or Tik-Tok provide entertainment and information, forcing news- papers to adapt with less sophis- ticated ways of going about the news. Perhaps, our educational system itself needs to start pro- moting bona fide news channels and media platforms to younger people. I remember publishing my first magazine in 1985, 36 years ago. It was called Ambjent 2000. Flipping through that first edi- tion, I realise how things have not changed. Still, after that first foray, and numerous start-up newspapers, magazines, TV programmes and other publications, Malt- aToday was the consequence of my varied experience in the world of journalism and activ- ism. It was set up to be irrever- ent, agenda-setting, left-leaning and liberal. But the most diffi- cult part of this project was sus- taining the financial aspect, and when I became part-owner of this company as well as editor, I had to contend with the schiz- ophrenia this brought about – ensuring that money comes in while also playing a part in the stories we publish. Nobody can deny the role that MaltaToday and Illum have played in investigative journal- ism and the way their stories are a reference point for our audi- ences who seek a critical view- point. Our 21-year editorial ar- chive has hit out at all sides of the political divide, the Church, the institutions and business gi- ants. Journalism and the life of a journalist is certainly not one for the feeble and weak. I have seen many journalists come and go. Most never return. Many feel stressed and burnt out, un- able to take the toxic environ- ment that self-appointed critics of the trade bring about. Some just can't take the heat of the job and look for new jobs, often with better pay and less stress. People who choose this line of work have a passion to ride the wave of information, kick back against the foibles of the powerful and the fey trends that are born in social media, and be fanatical about revealing the truth. In these last four decades I have built a network of contacts that find it easy to sit down and talk to me. It came with the job: after all, native wit is a crucial ingredient for a journalist; you must get out there and speak to the people to build your net- work. Today, I am taking a step back. It is not a question of age. I am not dumping Mediatoday of course. But I will be doing sole- ly what I have been doing for a long time, that is raising the finance to keep this project go- ing, by formally relinquishing any editorial role as a director and founder of the company. My job in the last years has been this, and now I will be ded- icating myself to our next pro- ject as a media company that is not just a newspaper. Almost 20 years ago, a young man walked into my office and showed interest in being a jour- nalist. I turned him down, un- impressed by his enthusiasm. Instead I employed someone with prior experience. Months later, I called him up to give him a chance after a vacancy arose. As Matthew Vella landed in the newsroom, he experienced the abrasive and brutal side of my style of journalism. To sur- vive against the media competi- tion of the time, I had to be un- couth, unforgiving, unrepentant and fearless. But he stood out from the others with his strong command of the English lan- guage, his single-mindedness, an honest appreciation of the political narrative and more im- portantly, being unwilling to be "impressed" by anyone. Well-read, au courant with so many of the minute changes in the media world and popular culture, meticulous, correct and incorruptible, and also a work- horse, he has always been will- ing to counter and challenge me. Which is why he is today the Executive Editor at MaltaToday and the face of this newspaper. I will retain my role as a man- aging director and also my col- umn and TV programme, but I will be working on new projects and sustaining the operation, as well as work on my forthcoming memoirs. The brave new world that is out there has to be harnessed by people who can withstand the undulating force of its change. But we need to bring young people into this world of infor- mation awareness and fight the laziness and 'illiteracy' that has contaminated society, making it more challenging to fight what is wrong and promote what is right. We need to excite people's intelligence and curiosity, make them think, and coun- ter what they see and perhaps read. From what is said by our political leaders, to the rape of our countryside, the shortcom- ings of our educational system and the modern faithlessness of conspiracy theorists and the short memories of our peers, we must believe in journalism that works for the common good. I am not proud of everything I have done. I have made many mistakes of which I have also admitted and written about. But I am full of pride that I gave birth to MaltaToday, and that I did bring about change. Media- today has been a media compa- ny that has stood for something good, for news and debate. And all this in a year that has been one enormous challenge. A Happy New Year to all! Changes... Saviour Balzan Today, I am taking a step back. It is not a question of age. I am not dumping Mediatoday of course. But I will be doing solely what I have been doing for a long time, that is raising the finance to keep this project going