Rappler’s Michael Bueza among JVO Journalism Seminar 2016 panelists

MANILA, Philippines – Five of the country’s top journalists shared their knowledge and experience in a seminar hosted by the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) on Wednesday, September 28.

In this year’s seminar, the topics revolved around how the media covered the 2016 elections and the first months of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

The 5 panelists, representing print, TV, and online media, were:

• Michael Bueza, Rappler
• Gigi Grande, ABS-CBN News
• Ed Lingao, TV5
• Ryan Rosauro, Philippine Daily Inquirer
• Joel Pablo Salud, Philippines Graphic 

Journalism students and media practitioners listened to the 5 journalists as they exchanged views on the media’s role in the recently-concluded elections and the challenges they faced during coverage.

They also discussed the level of reportage during the Duterte administration, and addressed accusations of bias and unfair reporting.

Among the panelists, Grande was named the 2016 Marshall McLuhan Fellow. She will go on a travel study tour of Canada, sponsored by the Canadian embassy. 

Grande “exemplifies some of the best qualities of the profession, an untainted journalistic career molded from several years in the industry, a no-nonsense approach in fleshing out the most important issues, a relentless thirst to discover new ideas,” said the citation read by Canadian Ambassador John Holmes.

The fellowship was named after the Canadian professor and philosopher who put forth the idea that “the medium is the message.”

Meanwhile, Lingao received the Award of Distinction “for consistently providing sober, fair, and relevant reports on a variety of difficult and complex issues, for his commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards of journalism despite physical danger… and for thus contributing to the development of Philippine journalism as a public resource.”

Rappler’s Bueza, a researcher-writer with an IT background, was the youngest in the group. He helped cover the Commission on Elections in the last May presidential elections, and has done stories based on data.

CMFR’s journalism seminar was held in honor of Jaime V. Ongpin, a businessman who became an advocate for press freedom during the Marcos regime. – Rappler.com