This website is run by Victor Paul Borg, who has worked as a fulltime journalist, writer and photographer for 24 years. He has lived in five countries in Europe and Asia, and spent more than six months in six more. His work has been published around the world, including in large publications in the US and UK, and newspapers of various countries.
For some years he reported for the British Royal Geographical Society in assignments at the natural and human frontiers, mostly in Asia. Other assignments included consultancy and planning for TV documentaries, as well as conducting a few exclusive outdoor adventures for groups in remote mountains of west China.
Wherever he lived, he immersed himself in media and public discourse, as well as environmentalism. His wider interests include a passion for food, outdoors, nature and cultures.
Since 2017 Victor has mostly been doing investigative journalism in Malta.
He launched this website at the beginning of 2022 to be able to continue doing a type of journalism that no one else does consistently in Malta and no media outlet sufficiently supports.
Here are the main mission points of this website:
- To do self-generated journalistic investigations and in-depth reportage that is well-illustrated and painstakingly researched. Such work takes a lot of effort, resources, and time to produce; and it is inconducive in established media outlets in Malta because no one is willing to pay near-sufficient for this type of reportage. The emphasis in Malta is mostly on churning out and publishing snappy reports and news.
- To develop a new form of journalism that makes an impact not by mass audience, but by more precise and thorough investigative reportage, as well as serial reportage on select subjects or story lines. Such serial reportage builds momentum and serves to reveal and rally, and also becomes a reference point. Detailed, solidly-researched reportage can also be used in investigations by regulatory bodies and actionable material for advocacy groups or NGOs.
- To publish analysis and explainers, mostly related to rule of law, that are technical and well-researched and serve as reference material. These attract a narrow readership, but they continue to be read as reference material – they are also often cited by academics – and established media outlets tend to shy away from these pieces because of their narrow appeal.
- To prepare and publish reports following serial reportage that yields extensive body of research, and provide those reports to regulatory or bureaucratic bodies to form a basis for awareness and reform, or make them available to normal citizens who can then use them in their endeavours for justice or democracy.
This journalistic project can only succeed with your support, both as readers and advocates (and sources for ideas and information), as well as funding. This project relies on donations – Victor’s income relies on donations. It doesn’t take much money to sustain this project: if 1 in 200 of visitors to this website donates €5 a year, that would generate sufficient funds to sustain this project for a year. But since the beginning of 2022, less than 1 in 1000 have donated anything.