Ivan Camilleri has won the award for Best Shoplifting Journalist at this year’s edition of the Malta Journalism Awards.
The former Times of Malta reporter was given the award by the Institute Of Maltese Journalists during yesterday’s ceremony, in recognition for his achievements in pilfering, most notably his work on Valyou Supermarket in Naxxar.
“Most journalists shy away from stealing things from supermarkets, being content to pay for their shopping to avoid ruffling feathers. But Ivan showed steely determination and made off with €12,000 worth of goods over several years, which, if I may say, is pretty damn impressive, ” host Colin Fitz said before handing the prestigious award to Camilleri, who last year was sacked by The Times following allegations that he collaborated with Yorgen Fenech.
In his acceptance speech, Camilleri thanked Valyou Supermarket for allowing him to take so many items, as well as fellow journalist Saviour Balzan, who revealed Camilleri’s shoplifting.
Other nominees in the category were Gerald Fenech, who charges followers €5 to receive exclusive Covid-19 news that other news sites report 30 minutes later, and the entire One TV newsroom, who steal viewers’ brain cells on a daily basis.
By the end of the evening, several other winners noted that their own trophies had gone missing.
Meanwhile, Bis-Serjetà god-editor Karl Stennienibarra vowed revenge after being completely overlooked yet again.
