Many times we’re criticised for editorial decisions that we make. It’s part of the job.

It has happened again this weekend, when we chose to upload a story about the civil union of two well-known dancers and choreographers. As happens all around the world when personalities do something, they get media coverage. And this is what we gave Felix Busuttil and Daron Galea.

The civil union of two gay people is no longer news in Malta. It’s been happening for over a year now. But when it is two well-known people who make their relationship official, it is news.

Just as much as it is certainly no news that a woman gives birth, but if it is the Duchess of Cambridge who is gives birth then the whole world knows about it.

The more cynical will now say that there is no comparison between Kate Middleton and the Busuttil-Galea couple. Because, you know, you can never win with some people. But the more intelligent will get the drift.

Many times, what is news is when something extraordinary happens.  For example, when a civil union was recently led by a priest who went against the Church’s guidelines to bless the couple’s rings, it was certainly news. The couple was unknown to the public, but their union was reported because it involved a priest.

Many times too, it is news when someone who is popular does something ordinary. That’s how it goes. Get it?

As soon as the story was uploaded on Sunday afternoon, some readers of this portal commented that we had nothing better to do and that we were just gossiping. The critical comments we received are still there if you wish to see them. I only removed a few which were nasty about the couple; otherwise, I can take criticism for taking the decision to upload the story.

The thing is, the people who said “it’s not news” were probably among the first to read it, and they even found the time to write their comment about it. They probably shared the news on the social media and sent SMSes to their friends. They’re probably talking about it at the office today.

“It’s not news”, they said, but they and many others clicked on it, and the story quickly became the most read story on our portal. And this happened within a few hours of the story being uploaded.

What “is not news” is, on many occasions, the news that people talk about the most. And this is what makes it “news” in the first place.