The legendary Malaysian band Exists has opened up about a bygone era when journalists and editors served as crucial guardians for entertainers in the music industry, filtering out potentially harmful rumours before they could gain public traction. Speaking at the Riuh Pi HAWANA concert in Butterworth last month, the band members reflected nostalgically on a media landscape markedly different from today's instantaneous digital environment, where traditional gatekeeping mechanisms have largely dissolved in favour of unfiltered public discourse.

During the heyday of print journalism, the band explains, editorial standards meant that complaints and allegations against artists were not simply republished as-is. Instead, editors would scrutinise submissions carefully, weighing their merit and considering potential consequences before deciding whether publication was warranted. This vetting process created a protective buffer between artists and unsubstantiated claims, allowing performers to focus on their craft without constantly battling false narratives or exaggerated stories in the public sphere.

Along, the band's lead guitarist, underscored how journalists would routinely contact artists directly to obtain their perspective on controversial matters, a practice that helped prevent misunderstandings from festering into full-blown scandals. This two-way communication created accountability in reporting while simultaneously giving artists a voice in the narrative surrounding them. The approach represented a collaborative relationship between the media and entertainment industry built on mutual respect and shared responsibility for accuracy. Such diligence meant that private matters rarely spilled into gossip columns without proper justification, and artists could maintain a degree of privacy that seems quaint by contemporary standards.

The transformation of the media landscape has been seismic. Today's environment operates on radically different principles, where any individual can capture footage or photographs, process them through filters and effects, and distribute them globally within minutes. The speed and ease of digital sharing has eliminated the traditional review stage, meaning unverified claims can attain viral status before anyone has investigated their authenticity. Along noted that this acceleration creates a cascade effect: initial posts attract comments, which then spawn further commentary, and soon an artist finds themselves awash in unsorted criticism and speculation, much of it unfounded and some deliberately malicious.

The psychological toll of this shift cannot be overstated. Artists in the current era face a relentless barrage of unfiltered opinions the moment they step into the public eye, and the cumulative effect of constant negative commentary takes a measurable toll on mental health and professional confidence. Where previous generations of performers could retreat to private spaces relatively unscathed by public opinion, modern entertainers must develop thicker skin and maintain constant vigilance about their public conduct. Along reflected that today's artists need extraordinary resilience and strategic thinking simply to navigate the hazards that come with fame in a hyperconnected world.

Vocalist Mamat credited journalists with playing a foundational role in keeping Exists relevant across more than three decades in an industry known for its volatility and short attention spans. Throughout the band's numerous challenges and controversies over the years, professional journalists provided not merely coverage but genuine support, maintaining a nuanced perspective that acknowledged difficulties without unnecessarily amplifying them or taking sensational angles. This sustained relationship became a form of institutional memory, helping audiences understand Exists within a longer historical context rather than in isolated moments of crisis or scandal.

Mamat observed that he has probably granted more interviews to Malaysian journalists than most other entertainers, yet remarkably, this relationship has remained productive rather than adversarial. Even when covering challenging periods in the band's journey, journalists have managed to offer both reporting and encouragement, embedding constructive advice within their coverage. This approach treated artists not as subjects to be exploited for clicks but as collaborators in telling larger stories about the evolution of Malaysian music and culture.

Bassist Musa contributed a memorable anecdote that perfectly encapsulated the warmth and genuine interest journalists once demonstrated toward artists. Around 1997, an entertainment correspondent became so invested in understanding the band's creative process that he independently rented a recording studio and invited Musa and Ujang to jam together. The session lasted nearly two hours and represented an extraordinary level of personal interest—behaviour that would be virtually unimaginable in today's more transactional media relationships. For Musa, this episode crystallised the distinction between mere reporting and genuine cultural engagement, revealing that the best journalism emerged from sincere passion rather than quota-driven production.

Musa emphasised that professionally trained journalists bring irreplaceable skills to the entertainment sector, particularly regarding sensitivity, accuracy, and understanding societal context. These practitioners operate within frameworks of ethics and responsibility that guide their decisions about what information serves the public interest versus what constitutes unnecessary invasion of privacy. Furthermore, responsible journalism sets standards that influence other content creators, establishing baselines for how information should be handled and creating cultural norms that elevate discourse across platforms. In this respect, the presence of professional journalists benefits not just the subjects of their coverage but the broader media ecosystem.

The contrasts that Exists members outlined reveal fundamental shifts in how information flows through society and how that flow affects public figures. The print era's editorial oversight was not without flaws, but it created spaces for nuance and context that the algorithmic feeds of social media explicitly eliminate. Where journalists once asked "should this be published," contemporary digital platforms operate on the principle that engagement supersedes accuracy, novelty matters more than verification, and speed is valued above comprehensiveness. For Malaysian entertainers navigating these treacherous waters, the lessons from Exists's longevity seem clear: professional journalism remains essential infrastructure for healthy celebrity culture.

Musa noted that quality journalists continue to play vital roles in setting professional standards and demonstrating through their own example that information can be delivered responsibly. Their training, experience, and commitment to ethical practice stand in stark contrast to the often careless approach of casual social media commentators who post without consideration of consequences. As Exists prepares for upcoming performances including the Memento Mori Concert at Unifi Arena on August 1st, the band's reflections on media evolution serve as a reminder of how much the ecosystem surrounding artists has transformed—and how much institutional support has been lost in the transition to digital platforms.