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