From The Malta Independent
Some stories take hours of research and days to write, but others that
are written in a few minutes turn out to be more popular – and the list
of the top 25 stories seen on The Malta Independent website www.independent.com.mt is a clear example of this.
The hottest political subject last year was certainly the citizenship
scheme that the Labour government plans to introduce, and this issue
features three times, but not before the number seven place. Still, its
heavy presence in the top 25 shows that the subject is a matter of
concern and people want to know more about it. We will, of course, hear
more about it in the next few weeks.
Other topics which many think are popular do not feature at all – the
budget, for example, creates so many expectations but it was not among
the most popular stories followed on our website; maybe because many
would be listening to the speech on TV and following the analysis in the
programmes that are held afterwards.
The same goes for the election we had in March – again, people were
probably watching for the latest development on the TV stations, and it
was only later that they went online in search of more detailed
information. Interestingly, only one election story made it to the top
25 – and only in number 23. There were no stories from the election
campaign that made it to the highest places, perhaps because people had
already made up their mind and they were not seeking news on what the
two political leaders were saying.
The environment, health, education, the PAC hearings on the oil
scandal, the long parliamentary sittings – all of which take so much of
the journalists’ time – did not make it in the top 25 either. The Arriva
debacle barely made it – the only story in the top 25 is that on the
coverage given to fires on bendy-buses - and immigration featured only
once – when the drama of the 11 October tragedy started to unfold.
Follow-up stories which exposed the entity of the calamity were not
among the most popular stories.
Norman Vella, former TV presenter, seems to have a wide following – at
least on our website – as four stories concerning him made it to the top
25 in 2013. His arrest in October is top of the list, while stories on
his programme TVHemm – the revocation of his PBS deployment came third -
and his court action also feature.
The aftermath of the election was extremely popular among our readers,
especially where it concerned appointments that were being made by the
government. Ramona Attard’s departure from Ian Borg’s secretariat to
join the Home Affairs Ministry under Manuel Mallia came a close second
to Norman Vella’s arrest – ironically, the latter’s harrowing experience
came after he was accused by the police of taking pictures of Ms Attard
and the chief government information officer Kurt Farrugia at the
airport departure lounge. The accusations fell through.
Other stories concerning government appointments, including that of Sai
Mizzi, the wife of Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi, were also in the top
25. These were countered by a story of what former PL leader Alfred Sant
wrote – that appointments of the previous government were a “who’s who”
of the PN.
Claudette Buttigieg’s rise in the Nationalist Party and the story
carried exclusively by The Malta Independent about her interest in the
PN leadership race came in fourth – and it generated more interest than
the resignation of Lawrence Gonzi as PN leader and the election of Simon
Busuttil as his successor. Neither story, although popular, made it to
the top 25.
Stories concerning the running of PBS were highly popular, not only
with regard to Norman Vella. Other stories we carried about John Bundy
and Reno Bugeja were followed curiously by our readers.
The extraordinary resignation of Pope Benedict and the election of his
successor just made it into the most popular story list. These were the
only two foreign stories that appeared in the top 25 stories.
Two stories regarding two ministers also featured in the top 25 –
Minister Mallia’s visit to the prisons where the inmates chanted the
Labour Party’s pre-election slogan “Taghna lkoll” when they were told
about an amnesty the government was granting; and the breaking down in
tears of Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia during a press conference. The
story on the Prime Minister’s decision to use his own car for official
service came in at number 16.
Crime stories also featured, such as the arraignment of a relative for
the murder of a father and son, the killing of an elderly man while his
daughter and her child were injured in Kalkara and the man who was
killed in Marsa while the car used for the murder was torched in Hamrun.
There were other stories that came close to the top 25, such as the
tourists which went missing in rough seas off Gozo and the death of a
Maltese student in Belize.
Human interest stories such as those related to the death of former
popular TV presenter Nirvana Azzopardi and the teenager who fell into a
coma were not high enough to make it in the top 25.
The most popular sports story was Italy’s win against Malta, but it was not even in the top 50 overall.
Other stories that made it into the top 50 which were not local
happenings included the story about a two-year-old boy who served as
best man for the parents’ wedding a few days before he died of
leukaemia, an elderly couple in the US who died within hours of each
other after spending more than 60 years together and, in a much lighter
vein, the groom who forgot his bride at a petrol station in Germany.
In Box
1 - Norman Vella questioned by police, later released - 27 October
2 – Ramona Attard leaves Ian Borg for Mallia, keeps €30k package - 9 may
3 – Norman Vella deployment at PBS revoked - 26 June
4 – Claudette Buttigieg confirms approach for PN leadership - 18 March
5 – Prisoners chant Taghna lkoll as minister confirms amnesty - 4 June
6 - One TV journalists set to enter new roles within government - 20 March
7 - Government to seek agreement with PN or people’s verdict on IIP - 19 November
8 - Scicluna admits passport scheme was a mistake, PN reacts - 5 December
9 - TV Hemm cancelled minutes before airtime - 21 March
10 - Minister Godfrey Farrugia breaks down in tears during press conference - 17 April
11 - PM pitches Malta citizenship plans to London businessmen - 31 October
12 - Previous government’s appointments a who’s who of PN activists: Sant - 5 September
13 – Man killed in Marsa, getaway van found torched in Hamrun - 30 May
14 – Reno Bugeja named acting head of PBS news – 8 May
15 – Court orders police to return phone, tablet to Norman Vella – 30 October
16 – PM to net €35,000 for use of personal car - 23 April
17 – Relative charged with murder of father and son – 19 July
18 - Man killed in Kalkara, woman and child injured - 27 October
19 – 27 dead, more than 200 rescued off Lampedusa – 11 October
20 - John Bundy knows nothing of presenting TV breakfast show - 22 august
21 – Minister’s wife Sai Mizzi lacks office in Asia - 29 October
22 - Pope set to resign on 28 February – 11 February
23 – Projections show PL obtains 55%, PN concedes defeat – 10 March
24 – News of bendy-buses woes spreads like wildfire – 8 August
25 – Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio elected as Pope Francis – 13 March
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