Legendary Malaysian band Exists has offered a poignant reflection on the protective role that journalists and editors once played in shielding entertainers from reputational harm, highlighting a professional standard that the group believes has largely eroded in the digital age. Speaking after their performance at the Riuh Pi HAWANA concert at PICCA PICCA @ Arena Butterworth Convention Centre, the band members drew a stark contrast between the measured, fact-checked reporting of the print era and the instantaneous, unvetted nature of contemporary social media discourse.

During the print media's dominance, Exists lead guitarist Along explained, editors functioned as gatekeepers who applied rigorous scrutiny to complaints and allegations before they reached publication. Rather than rushing stories into print, journalists would verify claims, reach out to artistes for their perspective, and carefully weigh the potential consequences of publication. This editorial diligence created an essential buffer between rumour and public record, preventing minor misunderstandings from ballooning into career-threatening scandals. Along underscored that this protective mechanism arose not from bias, but from professional responsibility—editors recognised that artistes deserved the same fairness and accuracy that news organisations applied to other sectors of public interest.

The guitarist emphasised that this approach proved particularly valuable when fans submitted complaints or negative stories to newspapers. Rather than publishing such submissions wholesale, editors would first investigate their veracity and consider their impact on the artiste's personal life and career. This careful curation meant that privacy remained largely protected, and false narratives had little chance of taking root in the public consciousness. For Exists, who have navigated Malaysian entertainment for more than three decades, such editorial prudence represented an invaluable form of institutional support that allowed them to focus on their music rather than managing relentless reputational crises.

Today's environment presents a fundamentally different challenge. Along noted that the democratisation of content creation has eliminated the editorial layer entirely. Any individual can film an artiste in a candid moment, edit the footage according to their bias, and broadcast it to thousands of followers within minutes. No verification occurs, no context is added, and no opportunity exists for the artiste to provide their account. The speed at which content circulates means that harmful narratives often become entrenched in public memory long before any correction or clarification can gain traction. For contemporary artistes, this represents a qualitatively different form of vulnerability than their predecessors faced.

The psychological toll of this unfiltered exposure cannot be understated. Along warned that modern entertainers must develop exceptional emotional resilience, as the constant stream of often-caustic commentary can deeply affect their mental health and career confidence. The solution, in his view, is for artistes to maintain strict vigilance over their behaviour and remain scrupulously careful in their public conduct. Yet this defensive posture comes at a cost—it constrains the spontaneity and authenticity that once characterised public life for entertainers, forcing them to inhabit a perpetual state of self-surveillance.

Exists vocalist Mamat offered a personal testament to the enduring value of professional journalism. Throughout his career, he has been approached by journalists more frequently than perhaps any other Malaysian artiste, yet he credits this persistent media attention with keeping Exists culturally relevant and commercially viable. Critically, journalists have provided more than mere coverage—they have offered genuine support during periods of difficulty, framing their reporting in ways that encouraged rather than diminished public interest. Mamat emphasised that even critical stories were often laced with constructive advice and words of encouragement, reflecting a relationship that transcended transactional reporting.

Exists bassist Musa elaborated on the depth of these professional relationships by recounting a remarkable anecdote from 1997. An entertainment journalist who regularly followed the band's performances became so invested in their music that he personally rented a recording studio to experience jamming with them. Musa and band member Ujang spent nearly two hours playing music with the journalist, an experience that blurred the boundary between professional documentation and genuine friendship. For Musa, this episode encapsulates how journalists of that era viewed their role not merely as observers but as participants in the artistic community, demonstrating a passion for music and artistes that went well beyond fulfilling editorial assignments.

Musa articulated a nuanced argument that preserves respect for professional journalism whilst acknowledging the challenges posed by untrained content creators. He stressed that formally trained journalists possess skills and ethical frameworks that citizen reporters and social media commentators typically lack. Professional journalists understand linguistic sensitivity, recognise what should remain private, and recognise their capacity to shape public perception responsibly. They serve as exemplars for other writers, demonstrating that accuracy and ethical consideration need not be sacrificed for speed or sensationalism. In Musa's view, this professional standard remains desperately needed in contemporary Malaysian entertainment discourse.

The observations from Exists reflect a broader anxiety within Malaysia's entertainment industry about the erosion of professional standards in media reporting. The transition from gatekept print media to open-access digital platforms has eliminated structural protections that once shielded artistes from unsubstantiated claims and privacy violations. Whilst the democratisation of media has enabled new voices and perspectives to flourish, it has simultaneously removed the editorial oversight that ensured factual accuracy and ethical consistency. For established artistes like Exists, who built their careers during the print era, this transformation represents a genuine loss of institutional support.

However, Exists' reflections also suggest that the relationship between journalists and artistes was fundamentally healthier during the print era than it is today. Rather than the adversarial dynamic that often characterises contemporary entertainment reporting, journalists and artistes once operated within a shared understanding that both parties' interests were served by accurate, fair reporting. Journalists who covered the entertainment industry developed genuine expertise and often cultivated long-term relationships with artistes, enabling them to report with both authority and sympathy. This contrasts sharply with the current ecosystem, where content creators often have minimal expertise and no accountability for the impact of their reporting.

As Musa prepares for the Memento Mori Concert scheduled for August 1 at Unifi Arena, he and his bandmates clearly view their advocacy for professional journalism as part of a broader responsibility to the Malaysian entertainment industry. By highlighting the positive role that trained, ethical journalists played in their career development, they implicitly call for a revival of professional standards in entertainment media. This is not a nostalgia-driven plea to return to an earlier era, but rather a recognition that contemporary entertainment discourse would benefit from the application of journalistic principles that once seemed elementary—verification before publication, consideration of impact, and respect for privacy. For Malaysian artistes navigating an increasingly hostile media landscape, Exists' reflections offer both validation and a reminder of what professional media support can accomplish.