One of the biggest changes in modern-day journalism – as with many other professions – is the way the workload has increased tremendously. That is mainly due, of course, to newsroom operations being scaled back drastically. Add to that another well-known modern phenomenon of various bodies, whether governmental or companies, knowing how to "play" journalists with a supposed scoop.

These come together in a climax where the journalist and his editor or publisher, suffering from a lack of time and resources, race to be first to release the news to ensure they are ahead of their competitors, who have also expanded in number and in speed to market in the digital age. And so a story is put out with a great flourish and fanfare, leaving the competitors behind, who then see what has been written and also publish the story, comfortable in the knowledge that if their enemies have published it, then it must be OK.

There have been a couple of such instances in recent months in the Belgian press which seems, for some reason that I personally cannot fathom, to have it in for the diamond industry. Perhaps the journalists writing the stories believe that every single diamantaire is a multi-millionaire. That all the diamantaires are dealing with conflict diamonds. That the industry is causing huge environmental damage. That child laborers are digging out all the world's rough diamonds with their bare hands for a dollar a day. That everyone involved in the diamond industry is somehow complicit in a huge, illegal scam and thus a fair target.

Needless to say, once the article is published, the headline and the main thrust of the article are what the readers overwhelmingly remember. Even if there is a later retraction or correction, that is of little interest to readers.

Interestingly, one does not see the phenomenon of attacking the domestic diamond trade in the media of the world's other big diamond centers. In Israel and India, for example, the industry is seen as a large and important player in the national economy, bringing in welcome foreign currency and providing jobs; in Israel's case of around 10,000, and in India closer to one million. Both those countries have a strong and independent press, and yet there is not the same, almost visceral, desire to highlight every supposed misdemeanor by their countries' diamond trades.

Meanwhile, in an important diamond hub such as Belgium, where so many of the world's rough and polished goods pass through, where diamonds account for 5 percent of all the country's exports and 15 percent of exports outside of the European Union, there appears to be an ongoing need among some parts of the country's press to race to denigrate the industry wherever possible.

In the two most recent cases, journalists appeared to have been almost abetted by the Antwerp prosecutor's office which seemed to be deliberately vague in its announcements. Last week, the AWDC publicly expressed its anger over what it described as "the Antwerp public prosecutor’s miscommunication" after a report was published in the Gazet van Antwerpen newspaper, which ran under the headline 'Diamantaires arrested for drug money laundering'. The story concerned recent house searches in the city due to suspected drug money laundering.

Who could blame the average reader, who has little knowledge of the importance of the country's diamond trade, for incorrectly putting two and two together and thinking: 'Those rich diamond people are at it again. Shifting under-the-counter money around and making it smell rosy.' But as AWDC spokeswoman Margaux Donckier pointed out: "For the second time in just three months, our entire industry has been put in a bad light because of an incorrect communication by the Antwerp Department of Justice.

"AWDC has no issue with the Department of Justice communicating over the investigations that it conducts, even if those investigations are linked to the diamond sector. However, it is unacceptable that stories begin to lead a life of their own as a result of unclear and insufficiently nuanced communication by the prosecutor."

The press statement released by the Antwerp Public Prosecutor office spokeswoman Stéphanie Chomé after the newspaper report had a strong smell of disingenuity about it: "It has come to our attention that the Antwerp Public Prosecutor’s press release, published on October 1 concerning the recent house searches, which took place in the framework of suspected drug money laundering, has caused some to believe that diamond traders are the primary subject of our investigation.

"Although the house searches were indeed conducted in the area near the Antwerp Central [Train] Station and in and around the diamond district, the Antwerp prosecutor wishes to emphasize that only one suspect has ties to the Antwerp diamond sector. The other suspects are not directly connected to the diamond industry. It would not be truthful to conclude that mainly diamond dealers are the subject of our investigation, and that the money laundering operations were facilitated by the diamond industry." Gee, thanks.

"Please understand that in the interest of the investigation and to safeguard the rights of all parties, we cannot comment on the profile, the background nor the possible role of each suspect. I therefore, kindly ask you to report on this matter with the necessary caution and nuance," Chomé helpfully concluded after the fact.

The previous occasion when the Public Prosecutor released information was, perhaps, all the more shocking due to the person supposedly pinpointed as a culprit. In July, the Gazet van Antwerpen and De Standaard published articles regarding the arrest abroad of a suspect in a diamond fraud case. The Antwerp Prosecutor’s office confirmed after the newspaper reports the arrest of a certain Dilip M on June 18, 2014, in the United Arab Emirates.

"However, this suspect is NOT Dilip Mehta of Rosy Blue Group. Furthermore, the Antwerp Prosecutor’s office has never confirmed or posited that Dilip Mehta of Rosy Blue Group is involved in the ongoing diamond fraud case for which a suspect is now in custody. The present case of mistaken identity is very regrettable," said Stephanie Chomé.

One does not expect the Antwerp Prosecutor’s office to know the names of the heads of all the leading diamond companies in the city. But a certain sensitivity could certainly be expected, and indeed, is very much needed. When you mention the name Dilip Mehta in the context of the Antwerp diamond industry, everyone instantly thinks of the head of Rosy Blue. Perhaps the Prosecutor’s office simply needs a liaison to the city's diamond business? Just think how many problems, incorrect newspaper articles, befuddled readers and embarrassment would be avoided with one little phone call.

As Donckier wrote in her media statement last week: "In July, the Antwerp prosecutor already had to rectify its miscommunication concerning the alleged arrest of Baron Dilip Mehta, which proved to be a case of mistaken identity. Even though the Antwerp public prosecutor rectified its miscommunication twice at AWDC’s explicit request, the damage it has caused was irrevocable. We call on all journalists to double-check the information they receive, including with the umbrella organization AWDC itself." It really is that simple.