The legendary Malaysian rock band Exists has offered a nostalgic perspective on the once-pivotal relationship between the entertainment industry and professional journalism, highlighting how editors and reporters functioned as crucial gatekeepers during the peak of print media. Speaking following their performance at the Riuh Pi HAWANA concert at the PICCA PICCA @ Arena Butterworth Convention Centre in Butterworth on June 20, the band's members reflected on an era when media institutions maintained editorial standards that provided artists with meaningful protection against damaging allegations and unfounded gossip.
During that bygone period, the band explained, journalists operated under stringent fact-checking protocols that fundamentally shaped how stories about entertainers reached the public. When complaints or allegations surfaced—whether from fans or other sources—editors would subject such claims to thorough scrutiny before deciding whether publication was warranted. This gatekeeping function represented far more than routine journalism; it created a buffer against the spread of misinformation that could irreparably harm an artist's reputation and career prospects. The process was deliberative rather than reactive, allowing space for verification and context-setting before sensitive information entered public discourse.
According to Exists lead guitarist Along, this editorial approach extended beyond simply filtering stories. Journalists would actively reach out to the subjects of potential negative coverage, affording them opportunities to respond and provide their perspective before publication. This practice of seeking clarification from those involved in stories reflected a commitment to fairness and accuracy that characterised professional journalism at the time. The result was a media ecosystem where artists felt heard and respected, and where misunderstandings could be resolved through dialogue rather than escalating into full-blown public controversies that might spiral beyond anyone's control.
Along emphasised that this protective function proved invaluable in preserving artists' privacy and shielding their personal lives from becoming fodder for unfounded speculation and rumour-mongering. The relationship between artists and journalists was predicated on mutual understanding and professional responsibility, creating an environment where creative figures could focus on their work without constantly fearing that innocent actions or private moments might be distorted and weaponised in the court of public opinion. This stability allowed artists to take the creative risks necessary to produce meaningful work.
The contemporary media landscape presents a starkly different reality. Along highlighted how the rise of social media and smartphone technology has fundamentally democratised content creation in ways that bypass traditional journalistic safeguards entirely. Anyone can now capture images or videos and upload them instantly to platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook without any editorial oversight, fact-checking, or consideration for the potential consequences faced by those being depicted. This immediacy and unfiltered nature of digital sharing has created an environment where context is often lost and intentions are routinely misinterpreted.
The consequences for artists navigating this landscape are psychologically and emotionally demanding. Comment sections rapidly fill with criticism, speculation, and hostile commentary that artists inevitably encounter. For sensitive individuals, the volume and vitriol of negative responses can take a genuine psychological toll, affecting mental health and creative confidence. Along stressed that contemporary entertainers must cultivate emotional resilience and exercise extreme caution in their public behaviour, essentially requiring them to adopt a defensive posture that simply would not have been necessary during the print era when professional standards provided a degree of insulation.
Vocalist Mamat reflected on how the band's longevity in Malaysia's entertainment industry has been directly facilitated by the supportive relationships Exists cultivated with journalists over decades. Rather than viewing the band's ups and downs as opportunities for sensationalism or criticism, journalists and editors generally extended understanding and encouraged the group to persevere through challenges. Mamat suggested that this consistent professional support—delivered not just through factual reporting but also through editorial encouragement and advice—has been instrumental in maintaining Exists' relevance and presence throughout their more than three-decade career.
The band's experience illustrates how professional journalists operated as more than mere chroniclers of events; they functioned as stakeholders invested in the health and sustainability of the entertainment industry itself. This approach may seem unduly sympathetic by contemporary standards, where media outlets frequently position themselves as adversarial watchdogs. However, it reflected a different understanding of journalism's role—one that balanced accountability with recognition that the entertainment industry required stable conditions to flourish and that artists deserved protection from malicious reporting and unverified allegations.
Bassist Musa shared an anecdote that captured the warmth and depth of artist-journalist relationships during that era. Around 1997, an entertainment journalist became so invested in Exists that he rented a recording studio specifically to experience what it felt like to jam with the band members. Musa and guitarist Ujang agreed to the unusual request, resulting in an extended session where the journalist participated in the creative process alongside the musicians. This willingness to step beyond traditional journalistic boundaries—to become temporarily embedded in the artistic experience rather than merely observing from outside—revealed how journalist-artist relationships had evolved beyond professional transactional interactions into genuine friendships grounded in shared passion and mutual respect.
Musa argued that while such close relationships might now seem inappropriate or conflicted by modern professional standards, they reflected an underlying reality about journalism's purpose in cultural contexts. Professional journalists possessed training, ethical frameworks, and editorial judgment that equipped them to handle sensitive information responsibly. More importantly, they could model standards of responsible reporting that influenced broader content creation across the industry. By demonstrating how to balance narrative interest with ethical considerations, professional journalists established benchmarks that other writers and content creators could emulate.
The bassist's reflection underscores an often-overlooked consequence of social media's dominance in entertainment coverage: the loss of institutional standards that once shaped how information circulated. When journalism was concentrated among trained professionals operating within organisations with editorial oversight and reputation stakes, there existed built-in incentives to maintain accuracy and fairness. Professional journalists risked their careers and their publication's credibility if they published false or malicious content. Social media creators, by contrast, operate in an environment where provocative content frequently generates engagement regardless of accuracy, and where accountability mechanisms are minimal.
For Malaysian entertainment industry observers, the band's reflections offer sobering perspective on transformations that have reshaped celebrity culture and artist-public relationships. The transition from a professional media gatekeeping system to an open, algorithmic content distribution model has redistributed power in ways that benefit neither artists nor the public seeking reliable information. Exists' experience suggests that the entertainment industry once enjoyed what might be termed institutional protection—not from accountability, but from the worst excesses of unverified speculation and malicious rumour-mongering that social media now enables and amplifies with unprecedented efficiency.
Musa concluded by emphasizing that professional journalism remains essential to the entertainment industry's ethical health and cultural contribution. Trained journalists bring skills that social media creators typically lack: understanding of ethical boundaries, sensitivity to how language shapes perception, and judgment about what constitutes legitimate public interest versus invasive speculation. As the entertainment industry continues navigating the digital age, the band's perspective suggests that recovering some elements of the professional journalistic approach—even within social media contexts—might ultimately benefit both artists and audiences seeking trustworthy information about the personalities and stories that captivate them.
