The Times should rethink its policy on this one – it’s in seriously poor taste
Have you seen a print version of today’s The Times?
The coverage of the double killing is appalling. The front page is a splash feature about yesterday’s funeral and inside there’s a double page spread headed by a ‘logo’ on each page – a graphic of a wooden-handled steak knife.
Perhaps in their enthusiasm, they got carried away.
In that case, was there nobody to suggest that a steak knife graphic is not just in remarkably poor taste, but wholly inappropriate for what was once Malta’s newspaper of record?
The photo of Claire Zammit Xuereb carries some sort of sensational caption. It’s all more Daily Mail than Daily Telegraph. If those are the sort of readers they want, then those are the readers they’re going to get.
The Times is no better than Maltastar on this one – it’s only the grammar and syntax that are more reliable.
Whatever’s going on there, they had better do some hard thinking. I can’t remember The Times ever behaving with such gross lack of ethics and base indecency, no matter how ‘thrilling’ the story.
I just wish that somebody, anybody, selling something, anything, in this country would remember that the market is not made up entirely of chavs.
The rest of us are feeling squeezed out and forgotten. Nobody seems to remember that we are a market segment too. Everything, including the murder reporting on The Times now, seems to be targeted at chavs.
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I never thought that I would be still around to see the day when The Times sinks so low.
The way that The Times is reporting on the recent murders is nothing but dissgraceful.
Give the families concerned a break. They are facing enough sorrow without having to be the victims of all this speculation and insinuations.
I only know Mr.A.Xuereb and I can assure you he does not deserve all this. He is a self-made man and he has seen his ups and downs and he does not deserve all this now that it is time for him to start reaping the rewards for his hard work.
I do not know the Geras, either, though I am sure that they do not deserve all this, either, especially Ms. Gera.
I couldn’t agree with you more. I would never have expected this type of sensational journalism from The Times. It is more akin to The Sun or The Star than to The Daily Telegraph on this one! What a pity and what a shame.
The Times has been in a shallow dive for years now, only that it is now in a steep dive and gaining speed. I suspect that whoever is turning out journalists in Malta’s university is not exactly up to speed.
If you employ an ex-tabloid editor you get a tabloid paper.
I solemnly declare that I have avoided reading yesterday’s and today’s Times because I am disgusted with this type of reportage on this tragedy.
Today’s (Thursday, 5 January) online version of the Times of Malta was rather “especially” disgusting.
This morning, one could read an article, which may be interpreted as a form of “professionally offered” pre-judgement, when one considers that the particular correspondent made reference to legal experts while explaining a respective (single) article from the Criminal Code of Malta.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120105/local/Where-the-law-justifies-homicide.401024
Late this evening, I could view the Bondi+ clip, which the Times of Malta offers on its website, and I was wondering why the clip is so selective!
Daphne, I couldn’t agree more with you on this issue.
Just look at what The Times reports every time Franco Debono opens his mouth, as long as it casts a long shadow on the government.
October 15th 1979 Black Momday.
January 5th 2012 Black Thursday.
Shame.
What happened is beyond shocking, but what is more shocking is the amount of gossip and BS flying around.
Just because people are curious (naturally), it does not give anyone (newspapers, etc) the right to create ludicrous theories as to what happened on said morning of 1st January, 2012.
Only three people know what happened, and of those three, two are dead, and the other is still in shock and has to find a way to carry on.
Come on ladies and gentlemen, where is your compassion? We are supposed to be a Catholic nation.
Pray for them or leave them be!
And no, I have no connection to the families whatsoever.
Lou Bondi has once again risen to the occasion.
He has shown all the other Maltese journalism quacks and charlatans for what they are.
The Times is indeed becoming the Daily Express. It even looks like the Daily Express.
Why? Because a senior member of management was recently hired from that newspaper.
My thoughts exactly.
I am now eagerly awaiting the full-page headlines in CAPS plastered in bold Times New Roman blasting the government, some EU regulation or a medical breakthrough story when one of the preceding two is unobtainable.
I really can’t see where they’re trying to take this organisation. It’s being run by kids who are sincerely convinced that they are the best thing that ever happened to journalism in Malta, while the seasoned veterans who were brought up to strictly follow the dogma of ‘fact is fact’ have been given the boot.
I just can’t believe that the board of Allied Newspapers is getting the commercial indicators from their sales that the direction they’re pointing in is the right one.
This is a golden opportunity for The Malta Independent to become the leading decent newspaper in Malta even from the point of view of numbers. It’s a real pity that its owners do not seem to be entirely committed to the project. But people like David Lindsay and Mike Carabott are really worth investing in because they’ve got the recipe of what the people want to read almost right.
Time for Daphne to step in and do the right thing: start a newspaper. We already have the core of a superb team of journalists on this blog. Besides, it’d provide Saviour Balzan with reams of fuming editorials for his own rag.
Well stop buying The Times. Action is stronger than words.
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Here you have your answer:
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=47966
The Times has chavved itself ages ago. Its level of English is sometimes only marginally better than that of Maltastar, and the standard of its reporting is sometimes not much better either.
“The Times is no better than Maltastar on this one – it’s only the grammar and syntax that are more reliable.”
Unless by ‘reliable’ you mean ‘reliably shocking’ I’m confused by this comment.
Most of the people who write for The Times seem barely literate. The online edition at least is littered with barely comprehensible sentences and spelling errors. In fact their grammatical errors regularly lead to mass confusion and the commenters speculate as to what the ‘journalist’ meant to say.
This paper really has become a national embarrassment on every level. It’s worse than the Daily Mail, because people are well aware the Mail is trash, whereas people such as yourself insist upon lionising the worthless Times of Malta as if it were a quality paper.
“I can’t remember The Times ever behaving with such gross lack of ethics and base indecency, no matter how ‘thrilling’ the story.”
We must be reading different papers, because I can’t remember The Times ever behaving ethically or decently.
They perpetuate racial hatred, ignorance and unrest with their sensationalised, content-free ‘reports’ and their selectively moderated comment boards. It’s just unfortunate that no one noticed or cared until a rich and influential family was affected.
Totally agreed. Atrocious spelling mistakes!
Well you got it right Daphne when comparing it to the Daily Mail. Their new design editor used to head the latter tabloid therefore bringing to The Times such horrendous graphic practices.
Correction: He headed the production department of the Daily Mirror, an epitome of bad taste unlike newspapers that have created a milestone in news design like The Guardian and Público.
Agreed,
If there was one thing The Times had, it was a dry, crisp style.
The front page has become a mish mash of contents and garish colour.
“If those are the sort of readers they want, then those are the readers they’re going to get”
I believe that this has been their objective for quite some time now. To mind come the style Times adopted to report the MP’s salary increase and the Arriva stories.
When I was In the early years of Secondary School our English teacher used to recommend to us students to read The Times of Malta. I used to recommend that also to my students 20 years ago. Now I tell them to read The Times of London, in order to write English as it is supposed to be written. Poor Ms. Strickland.
The Times has long become only fit to line dustbins or cat litters. The Editor seems to be on a perpetual holiday.
I have had this inkling of the change in editorial direction of The Times for the past 4/5 years.
When one sees that reports are by-lined by certain reporters/journalists, one could predict the slant before reading the report.
The reporting about Arriva throughout the summer (no wonder it’s called the silly season) was more of a crusade against the provider than factual reporting.
The reporting of last Sunday’s double killing has been a mish-mash of suppositions, “informed sources”, repetitions; otherwise how could the Times fill a front page and three inside pages every day since last Monday.
And why this outcry because the police have not called a press (not crime) conference when the whole affair is still under investigation?
Could this new tack taken by The Times be due to recent recruitment from the UK?
The Times’ standards are descending into the pits. Allowing their reporting staff to remotely upload to the online edition, from wherever they happen to be, would normally be a great idea, if only they would at least proof-read their articles before pressing ‘Send!’ A simple spell-check would solve a lot of issues.
That a journalist on the Times’ payroll would commit the basic error of confusing ‘advise’ and ‘advice’ is a telling indication indeed.
This one (of a great number) was two days ago in the uploaded story about the Sliema local council.
I commented about it, but my comment didn’t appear. They did, however, quickly rewrite the piece using neither advice NOR advise anywhere – I assume they still couldn’t decide which one was correct in the context (advise), and so settled for less taxing alternatives rather than get tied up in the newsroom debate.
[Daphne – Why didn’t you just explain to them that advise is the verb and advice is the noun?]
I do this sometimes. If you comment to point out their glaring errors, sometimes they withhold your comment and make the amendment. Poor hapless fools need all the help they can get.
Unfortunately they also edit comments, often making the comment sound just as illiterate as the parent article, so I try not to comment if I think there’s a chance it will be published.
… and there was I, thinking I am uniquely flagged (and binned) because of constantly criticising their English grammar. Their colloquial English is even worse by the way, and they allow indecent words, normally asterisked in decent forums (“fora” if you prefer).
I am convinced they cause untold discomfort to dear old Ms Mabel in her grave. This current reportage in her beloved “Times” must be a real affront to her inherent sense of propriety. This is one kind of behaviour she would not have put up with (or “up with which she would not have put”, if you prefer).
As for Anglu Xuereb releasing statements via JP Advertising regarding the New Year’s Day case…what next? Max Clifford?
I suspect that an out-of-the-blue trauma of this nature, especially mid-stream into new-year celebrations when everybody’s defences are down, can mitigate poor decisions.
So why can’t we all be kind rather than indifferent to the obvious pain that this tragedy has caused to three families, whatever the circumstances?
Words can flow uncontrollably at times and are impossible to retract. How many (other than abstainers) can say they had a clear frame of mind at 6 o’clock in the morning of new-year’s day?
So be kind all ye good people, even if you are alert to a suffering-soul’s poor judgement; some magnanimity please for the sake of those silently grieving.
Hot Mama – you can also use it to dry window panes – the effect is so so clear. I always use newspaper to dry te car windows and windscreen.
@ Derek Fenech
Mr Fenech, you should be the least one to comment about The Times design.
Terry Manners is not doing a good job at all, I agree, but you didn’t do the best job either.
In fact no one realised you were assigned to change the face of the newspaper a few years back. At least Manners is making some noise, negative noise, but some noise. You made none.
@ Mr. Anonymous Newsofthworld, Maybe my name didn’t makeany noise but my work did.
I introduced navigational systems, typographical hierarchy, a new typeface (including a customized Maltese typeface), clearly marked sections, larger photography, a design manual.
Basically it was a silent revolution which I am proud to have headed.
If doing the best job for you is making noise , whatever it may be, then I prefer to be lost in the annals of time then be known for delivering bad design.
PS Thanks for looking at my website.
Someone mentioned that timesofmalta.com is full of mistakes. Of course it is, because as soon as they hear about something they publish without even bothering to check their sources well, l-aqwa li johorguha qabel kullhadd, and halli later they change the version of events in a follow-up story or polite update.
Hmm. I think everyone should bear in mind that a newspaper is first and foremost a business – and on that level, the Daily Mail online edition is the second most popular on the planet, second only to the New York Times…