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On Friday, MediaToday announced the launch, scheduled for 18 April, of its MaltaToday midweek edition: the latest in a stable of publications alongside MaltaToday, Illum and Business Today. MaltaToday midweek will be published on a Wednesday, and will bring to our readers the news-reportage style associated with our established English-language Sunday newspaper: a style which distinguishes itself at a glance by its innovative design and above all, its fresh and original approach to news. Reader-driven content is changing the face of newspapers worldwide, and Malta is no exception. The central protagonist of all MediaToday products must remain the reader; for this reason, the mantra that “Content is King” will continue to form the centre of our focus, mindful of the fact that the fast pace of change facing our industry is being dictated above all by the consumer. Print media the world over are in fact experiencing a new and exciting phenomenon: readers are increasingly becoming participants rather than merely passive users. At MediaToday we try to harness this new role to increase our readership, broaden our sphere of interests, and in turn improve the overall quality of our products. The challenges we face include turning readers from passive consumers of our newspapers, to active participants in the newsgathering and presentation process. To this end we strive to turn our newspapers into platforms for dialogue, engaging our readers in what is essentially two-way communication traffic. Elsewhere, the Internet revolution has changed the very model of media communication, and we also look forward to filling this local void by launching a news portal in the near future. The portal will enable MediaToday to service readers with regular news updates throughout the day; as always, the bottom line is that people are no longer content to simply listen to what their media are saying. They want their media to listen to them. In this respect, and despite all the multimedia competition, newspapers will remain important and relevant, but only insofar as they analyse events, and not merely carry press releases or report only the talking heads, as has been the case for too long in the past. Unlike other more instantaneous media, newspapers have the time at their disposal to probe, analyse and thoroughly scrutinise the news. We need to engage with our readers editorially; this also involves constantly refreshing, redesigning and renewing our products. Our brand value thrives on the independence of our newspapers from governmental, institutional or commercial control. We are happy to appeal to independent-minded persons and attempt at all times to be in tune with their instincts. Our editorial policy carries no hidden agenda and is anchored to the values of accountability, transparency, tolerance and solidarity. We are fully conscious, not only of our duty to inform, but especially of our readers’ right to know. The acquiring of information and the placing of news analysis at the disposal of the consumer serves to empower our readers, who are ultimately the real owners of our publications. It is with this in mind that we are encouraged to further serve our readers by engaging with them no longer exclusively on a Sunday, but also on Wednesdays, when the news can be further analysed as events unfold.
In denial
The results of last week’s local elections were crystal clear. The Labour Party won a resounding victory, confirming that, at local level at least, the electoral wind is very clearly in Labour’s sails.
While it may be too early to call a victory at national level, it would nonetheless be imprudent to ignore Labour’s winning streak. Margaret Thatcher famously tended to ignore opinion polls stating that there is only one poll that matters: the general election. In similar vein, the reaction of Prime Minister Gonzi appears to be a dismissal of the local results as just a passing political hiccup. In so doing, he is courting trouble and alienating a substantial number of voters: if not all, certainly the more independent minded ones.
Seeing no connection between local and national elections is unwise. A trend is a trend, and in this case, it is reinforced by the fact that last Saturday’s result is the fourth consecutive electoral defeat for the PN. Reacting to this loss by smilingly predicting a victory at the next general election, as Gonzi did last Sunday, verges on the arrogant. Worse still, his assertion that Labour voters are somehow regimented to vote is little short of political folly, diminishing the value of a popular vote.
It would be better for the Nationalist Party to be conducting a little soul-searching, and to chastise itself for failing to mobilise its own voters, rather than begrudge the Opposition party for its electoral discipline. Losing Mosta, a predominantly Nationalist area, should place the entire party machinery on red alert. After all, a PN victory at the next election is all about getting the Nationalist voters out in full strength, fully convinced that theirs is the better choice. Surely the way to do this is to improve on one’s own performance, rather than belittling the success of others. |
