CMFR cites Philstar.com for best practice in journalism

MANILA, Philippines — The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility has recognized Philstar.com, the online arm of the STAR Group of Publications, for its reportage on issues during President Rodrigo Duterte’s second year in office.

CMFR—a non-government organization that promotesresponsible journalism and press freedom—annually recognizes and selects the best, and best practices in, Philippine journalism.

Philstar.com was recognized “for coverage that helped Filipinos understand issues that confront them as citizens, and in doing so, fulfilled the role of free press in the Philippines at a time when it is under attack and severely challenged.”

Philstar.com’s editor-in-chief Camille Diola was chosen as one of the panelists of this year’s Jaime V. Ongpin Journalism Seminar held Thursday at the AIM Conference Center in Makati City. News editor Jonathan de Santos represented Philstar.com at the annual seminar.

Other panelists at the seminar were Nestor Burgos (Philippine Daily Inquirer), Gerg Cahiles (CNN Philippines), Natashya Gutierrez (Rappler), Karol Ilagan (Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism) and Jeff Canoy (ABS-CBN Integrated News and Current Affairs), who was also named as this year’s Marshall McLuhan fellow.

The panelists were selected by the editors of the Philippine Journalism Review Reports and the CMFR board of trustees.

“We are happy to have found journalists who are a class apart, reporters who have pushed the limits of narrowing space and time to check abuse of power, counter false narratives and correct fake news,” CMFR executive director Melinda Quintos de Jesus said.

She added: “[They are] exemplars of best practice and provide the public with news that has gone through a process of fact checking and verification and more important, they work on news that matters.”

The panelists discussed media coverage of the Marawi siege and its aftermath, state-sponsored propaganda, issues surrounding the West Philippine Sea, and the temporary closure of Boracay island.