It is quite disconcerting (especially for a writer, as I just wrote a lovely travel article on Malta and its people for a large publication in the US), to open The Independent on a Sunday afternoon and find multiple, slanderous remarks about how “ignorant” Americans are. First and foremost, the job of a newspaper is to report the news. Discriminatory comments, whether based on race or nationality, do not suffice or qualify as news, and nor will they ever.

Andrew Sultana’s “You’ve Got Mail” and “Why an American Chose Malta as the Site of a Mystery Novel” made comments such as “Americans are plain ignorant. Someone once wrote that the way Americans learn geography is by war,” or, “For instance, I am fully aware that all Americans are not like this man, and that most of them still have European blood running through their veins...” The first is a terrible blanket statement, which is a clear resentment towards some Americans for not knowing a great deal about Malta, and the second, implies that Europeans are somehow superior. Both were attempts to be witty, but I’m sorry, both failed miserably, as wit suggests a snappy blend of intelligence and humour.

Off the top of your head, can you explain where Reunion Island, Comoros, Palau, Kiribati, Tavarua and Niihau are located, briefly describe their way of life, basic political structure, and whether or not they are territories, states, part of a larger island entity or self-governed?

Let’s spend our time reaching out to others and finding a common ground instead of dividing and isolating ourselves. Maybe a good way to start is by praying for the tens of thousands people who have lost their homes and some their lives in the hurricane, which is currently sweeping the southern states of the US. Malta is a beautiful place and rich in history. Do your ancestors some justice and show some class and intelligence. As for your ethics in journalism, you might want to take a few lessons from The New York Times or The Times (London). They are both accessible for free via the internet.

Jasmine Cronin-Giorgiadis

(A multi-national citizen and freelance writer)

ST JULIAN’S