Get a grip, Evarist
I’m told Evarist Bartolo is in charge of the Labour Party’s news site, Maltastar, and that all the terrible New Year’s Day tragedy speculation is being carried out on his watch.
Really?
I’ve long thought that the man has a false front of acceptability for his ‘Sliema voter’ audience, while being an internally seething mass of nasty spite and hdura which manifests itself less obviously.
Why bother with police investigations when Maltastar has all the facts already? Look at this story, which it published yesterday on Evarist’s watch.
Burial of two men who stabbed each other to death
Wednesday afternoon the funeral of Nicholas Gera was held in St Gregory’s parish church in Sliema. He was stabbed to death on Sunday morning after he stabbed Duncan Zammit. He had broken into the apartment of the Zammit family and got into a knife fight following an argument they had.
(…)
Ghamluha fatta, hej. They stabbed each other to death. Gera broke in and stabbed Zammit and Zammit stabbed him back and they both died. At least they drew the line at speculating about the reasons – for small mercies let us be grateful.
I can understand why members of Mr Zammit’s and Ms Xuereb’s families would need to think that this is the scenario and confidently present it to the press, but this does not make it fact.
I appeal here to these family members, and to Anglu Xuereb especially, to please stop talking to the press. This appeal is in direct conflict with my media role, but in these situations, I have other priorities. I am unable to detach myself from the human sentiment.
They might think that they are getting their story out, but in reality they are making things worse and compounding the gossip. Individuals under this level of stress make unwise decisions and have a need to talk. Journalists are the wrong people to talk to.
It is usual elsewhere, when families are under siege by the media in stressful scenarios like these, for some sound and smart relative who is not as emotionally involved to wade in as the family’s ‘minder’, acting as spokesman, fending off the media, vetting statements for release, and making sure that overwrought individuals do not accept interviews or make press comments.
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Very sound advice. As to Evarist Bartolo, he has never changed and never will, no matter how many ‘faces’ he changes and presents in public. He is fake except for his hdura. That is real.
The comments posted on timesofmalta.com today are again sickening. The newspaper which once boasted to be perhaps the only one with high and correct standards here in Malta has has reduced itself as a base for gossip by people who apparently have nothing better to do than pry into the private lives of the victims and their close relatives. Sadly Fr Savio’s plea for silence has been reported on all news bulletins but unheeded.
Sadly, on the news, Fr Savio’s plea for silence was accompanied by footage intruding the privacy of a family in mourning, with the camera openly zooming in on the Gera family.
Surely the priest could have asked the television crews and newspaper reporters to leave? Let us hope that they will have the good sense to do so next Saturday.
I agree wholeheartedely…however, astoundingly, these family members shall be giving televised interviews on tonight’s Bondi +….
I also think that you should be so good enough as to admit that tonnes of drivel and rubbish was published in most of our newspapers and tv Channels, rather than just focussing on the Labour media.
Justifying this utter dearth of ethics by saying that this is what the people makes it even worse.
At this point in time, the least said the better..
I agree wholeheartedely…however, astoundingly, these family members will be giving televised interviews on tonight’s Bondi +….
I also think that you should be so good enough as to admit that tonnes of drivel and rubbish was published in most of our newspapers and TV cannels, rather than just focussing on the Labour media.
That they justify this utter dearth of ethics by saying that this is what the people WANT makes it even worse.
At this point in time, the least said the better.
[Daphne – I have mentioned the Labour media, Malta Today and even The Times. I have not watched any Super One, TVM or Net news (I almost never do) and so cannot comment on what I haven’t seen or heard.]
Judging from what I have managed to read so far, in all fairness, this site only remained positive, ethical and respectful towards the families concerned. The rubbish seen on some sites was shocking, to say the least.
The appearance of distraught relatives on TV or in comments to the press is no justification for a continued feeding frenzy.
What happened is no one’s business, more so if the worst of the ‘reports’ are true.
There is no issue of public security and the only community menace is the propensity to gossip and rake over the painful details of someone else’s tragedy.
So, are you going to lambast your buddy Lou Bundy now? Or is it ok for him to exploit to vixtims’ families during his twice-weekly charade?
[Daphne – I am not the sort to discuss something I haven’t watched yet.]