Legendary Malaysian rock band Exists has offered a nostalgic perspective on the evolving relationship between the entertainment industry and media, highlighting how print-era journalism once served as a protective barrier for artistes navigating public scrutiny. Speaking after their performance at the Riuh Pi HAWANA concert held at the PICCA PICCA @ Arena Butterworth Convention Centre parking lot on June 20, members of the band underscored the critical gatekeeping function that professional editors and journalists performed during the height of mainstream media's influence.

The distinction between past and present media environments has become increasingly pronounced, according to lead guitarist Along. In the era when print dominated the information landscape, editorial processes created multiple checkpoints that prevented hasty publication of unverified claims or sensitive allegations. When fans submitted complaints or stories, editors would conduct thorough reviews rather than immediately publishing content. This procedural diligence meant that journalists themselves would typically reach out directly to the artistes involved, requesting their perspective before any story went to print. Such a process, though potentially slower, created space for clarification and context that often prevented misunderstandings from metastasizing into full-blown controversies.

Along emphasized that this editorial culture provided artistes with meaningful insulation from reputational damage rooted in rumour or incomplete information. By ensuring that complaints and allegations underwent proper vetting, the media landscape of that era inadvertently protected individuals' private lives from becoming fodder for unfounded gossip. The responsibility felt by journalists to verify and balance their reporting meant that artistes could maintain clearer boundaries between their public and private personas, with less risk of distorted narratives taking hold in the public imagination.

The transformation of the media ecosystem has fundamentally altered this dynamic, however. Contemporary mobile technology and social media platforms have democratized content creation, allowing any individual to capture images or videos and distribute them globally within seconds. Unlike the deliberate editorial process that once characterized mainstream publishing, these platforms operate with minimal friction and virtually no quality control mechanisms. Content that reaches thousands or millions of people may never have been fact-checked, contextualised, or subjected to any journalistic standard whatsoever.

Along articulated the psychological toll this shift has inflicted on contemporary artistes. When photographs or videos are uploaded without consideration for accuracy or impact, comment sections inevitably fill with diverse opinions, critiques, and often harsh judgments from anonymous audiences. The sheer volume and unfiltered nature of this feedback can weigh heavily on performers' mental health, particularly when negative comments accumulate into a cascade of criticism. Modern artistes, he suggested, must develop considerably thicker emotional resilience than their predecessors, while simultaneously remaining hypervigilant about their behaviour and public visibility—a dual burden that previous generations largely did not face.

Vocalist Mamat offered a complementary perspective grounded in Exists' three-decade career trajectory. The band's sustained relevance and industry presence, he argued, owes considerably to the constructive relationships cultivated with professional journalists over the years. Beyond simply reporting on the group's album releases, concert dates, and career milestones, these journalists actively provided support during challenging periods. Mamat noted that he has likely been approached by Malaysian entertainment journalists more frequently than most other local artistes, yet throughout Exists' considerable ups and downs over thirty-plus years, the media maintained space for the band to evolve and progress without excessive sensationalism.

More striking still, Mamat observed that published stories about Exists often transcended pure reporting to include encouragement and wisdom that sustained the band emotionally. This supportive tone reflected a relationship between artistes and media figures that extended beyond transactional professional exchange into something more genuinely collaborative. The implicit partnership—where journalists invested in the long-term health of the musical landscape rather than merely extracting stories for immediate publication—created conditions where artistes could thrive even during difficult career phases.

Bassist Musa contributed a particularly illuminating anecdote that captured the depth of these historical relationships. Around 1997, one entertainment journalist became so invested in covering Exists that he rented a recording studio and invited band members to jam together for nearly two hours. The journalist's commitment transcended observation; he participated directly in the creative process, transforming his professional interest into shared artistic experience. For Musa, such instances demonstrated that journalist-artiste relationships of that era genuinely blurred the lines between professional duty and personal friendship, grounded in mutual respect and authentic interest in music.

Musa's reflection carries particular significance for contemporary discourse about media credibility and the role of professional journalism in any creative industry. He argued persuasively that formally trained journalists bring irreplaceable value to the entertainment landscape precisely because of their editorial discipline and ethical foundation. Professional journalists understand linguistic nuance, recognize cultural sensitivities, and possess judgment about what belongs in the public record and what does not. Their careful approach to storytelling and verification can simultaneously establish standards that influence broader media behaviour, demonstrating through example that responsible content creation produces better outcomes than sensationalism.

The implications of this generational shift extend beyond individual artiste welfare to encompass the health of Malaysia's broader entertainment ecosystem. When professional media outlets decline and social media dominates information distribution, the industry loses institutional memory, contextual understanding, and ethical guardrails. Aspiring musicians and performers inherit an environment where reputational damage can occur with breathtaking speed, often rooted in partial truths or deliberate distortions, with no mechanism for systematic correction or clarification. This represents not merely a challenge for individual performers but a structural vulnerability in the creative sector itself.

Musa is currently immersed in preparations for the Memento Mori Concert, scheduled for August 1 at the Unifi Arena, marking another milestone in Exists' enduring career. The project's realization depends partly on media coverage that will help build audience awareness—a reminder that artistes remain economically dependent on information distribution systems, whether traditional or digital. The contrast between the protective, relationship-based journalism of the past and the chaotic, verification-light landscape of contemporary social media thus represents not merely nostalgic reflection but an acute practical challenge for working musicians navigating audience building and reputation management simultaneously.