Algorithms aren’t newsrooms

Open your phone. While the kettle begins to whisper, headlines and that one reel everyone’s sharing slip past your thumb. That quick scroll is shaping what we think is happening in Malta. How we get our news now moulds how we talk to each other, how we understand our islands, and how we show up as citizens.

The latest L-Istat tan-Nazzjon survey, commissioned by the Office of the President and carried out earlier this year by Vincent Marmarà, puts numbers to our behaviours. Online news portals, once our first stop, are slipping. Only 21% go straight to them now, down from over 40% in 2021. Television still leads (47.5%), more by routine than by appeal.

For younger Maltese, the phone has replaced the TV. Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok aren’t side acts anymore; they’re the main stage, and their incentives quietly shape our agenda. Algorithms don’t read truth; they read signals. They rank posts by what keeps you on the app: Watch time, pauses, replays, comments, shares, follows, and even how quickly you react. Posts that trigger fast emotion or surprise often win those early tests, so it spreads not because it’s the most important, but because it’s the most striking. Visuals and novelty get an edge; slower, more technical stories need extra care to travel.

A decline in trust is evident beneath the numbers. More than half of respondents say the media only “somewhat” reflects their concerns. That’s a polite way of saying many people don’t feel seen. And when we don’t feel seen, we drift into comfortable corners of the internet that tell us we’re right and everyone else is wrong. Over time, those corners harden into bubbles. And bubbles aren’t just an algorithm glitch. They start with us. We follow people like us (homophily), click what confirms us, and in like-minded groups we grow more certain. Add the online “spiral of silence”; we bite our tongue if we think our view won’t land, and repetition starts to feel like evidence.  

So, what do we do? Part of the answer sits with newsrooms. Ease off the click chase and show your working. Point to sources and explain editorial choices in plain language. Connect stories to everyday life—population, waste management, environment, traffic, infrastructure, construction. Meet audiences where they are, even on social media platforms without lowering standards.

Language matters. Our national conversation lives in Maltese and English, and most apps quietly sort us by language. A scoop that drops in English at 10am might show up in Maltese an hour later as a screenshot with a spicy caption and no source and context; by the time a full Maltese version appears, reactions have already set. Equal depth isn’t a luxury. It’s how we keep the whole island arguing about the same facts, not two sets of headlines.

Platforms have a role too. Their business model is engagement, but small design choices can help. This should include clearer labels for sponsored or AI-generated content, easier ways to see source history, and a nudge before forwarding viral claims.

And the rest is on us. Media literacy isn’t a lecture; it’s a daily skill. Read beyond the headline; check the byline, the date, and a source you can actually open. Before forwarding anything from Facebook, Instagram TikTok or in the family chat, click through and see if at least one credible outlet is reporting the same facts. Guard your attention too. Turn off autoplay (so videos don’t start before you choose), save longer pieces for when you have time, and follow one serious outlet you trust. Ask yourself: ‘Do I understand this, or do I just agree with it?’ If in doubt, park it and give it a second look. These are small, repeatable moves that make us fairer readers and better sharers.

Yes, the survey was done in June, but the same pattern is on our phones every day. We get clips that make us react, not understand. Journalism is the slow, careful work that adds context and checks facts. If we rely only on our feeds, our view shrinks to whatever is trending. If we choose proper reporting, we keep a fuller picture and a fairer conversation. That’s how we protect public life in Malta.