Watch: ‘It Says More About Them Than Me’ – Young Women In Media Open Up About Online Hate On The She Word
What’s it really like to be a young woman working in Malta’s media world? Between the bloopers, the chaos and the joy of connecting with an audience, there’s also a darker side: facing criticism and online hate.
In the latest episode of The SHE Word’s Young Women’s Edition, host Sasha sat down with Naomi Scicluna (Head of Creative at FreeHour Malta), Angelica Farrugia (journalist and newscaster at TVM News), and Martha Attard (radio host and broadcasting producer at Vibe FM) to talk about navigating the highs and lows of their industry.
One of the most powerful moments from the conversation came when the four women tackled the issue of online hate.
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“In Malta, I feel like we have a bit of a culture where people find it very easy to hate on the person delivering the message rather than the message itself,” Sasha said. “So the second they disagree, they don’t want to criticise constructively. They just hate you.”
Angelica agreed: “They’re just gonna keyboard warrior it out.”
Naomi admitted she’s been relatively lucky, saying hate often targets the platform rather than her directly. “I rarely get hate… thankfully, I’m used to shutting it off if someone says anything.”
Meanwhile, Martha explained her own coping mechanism when comments get personal, “It may sound a bit mean, but I take a comedic stance in my head. If someone tells me, ‘You’re not Maltese breed,’ what difference does that make to their life? To me it says more about the person commenting than me.”
The full episode dives deeper into what it’s like to be a young woman in Malta’s media landscape, from the pressure to always “look the part,” to the nerves of going live for the first time, to the joy of creating content that really connects.
Catch the latest episode of The SHE Word below:
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