Quality journalism

Lack of training for aspiring journalists and the absence of accountability were among the major problems raised in a seminar organised by the Fondazzjoni Mikiel Anton Vassalli at the National Labour Centre yesterday, writes Gerald Fenech:

Opening the seminar, Labour MP Evarist Bartolo said that journalism was not being taught at university and if the medium is not strengthened we risk losing our quest for information. He said that with the current structure of media ownership (political parties and business), it was admittedly hard to bring about change. Maltastar coordinator Alfred Grixti said that the public broadcasting system should be modelled on the style of the BBC, which was always fair and impartial. He complained about the orchestration of news by the independent media against the Labour Party where news is often pushed aside or omitted altogether.

Di-ve journalist Paul Cachia said that journalism must be critical, enthusiastic and accurate. He said it was important to distinguish between reporters and investigative journalists adding that both have different responsibilities and ethics were of the utmost importance for credible reporting. The Times journalist Mark Micallef contended that the independent media was drifting around without a soul with very few journalists willing to stand up and be counted. He said there was need for more investigative and courageous journalism because if we remain imprisoned in a cage of fear then we cannot hope to move forward in this field...