On 18 October, The Malta Independent on Sunday will publish ‘Plucky’, an eight page children’s supplement. ‘Plucky’ is an unusual word, somewhat old fashioned. It means courageous and bold, and Plucky will be empowering kids to be just that, informed kids who think for themselves. The person behind Plucky is illustrator and children’s author Gattaldo, creator of fearlessdaphne.com - the website for aspiring young journalists. The supplement is an experiment with the same aim as the website, that of introducing children to journalism.
The theme of the pilot issue, timed to coincide with the 3rd anniversary of the assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, is ‘The Journalist’. Kids will discover types of journalism with which they’re unfamiliar, such as visual reportage. Plucky interviews some of the best known international exponents of non-fiction cartoons. It looks at ways journalism has been evolving and what it’s doing to overcome public mistrust. There’s an informative article on how to tell the difference between true and fake stories accompanied by a fun game of true or false. Also featured are a journalism themed crossword and a prize competition where kids can be creative with their own graphic reportage.
Gattaldo is the author of the children’s book ‘Fearless, The story of Daphne Caruana Galizia’ published by Otter-Barry Books and endorsed by Amnesty International and Reporters Without Frontiers.