Journo Journey

A Gradual Process Published: October 27, 2023 Generic Wall Clock. Taken on March 9, 2023. (Courtesy: Mervin Manaois) After finding several relevant documents, datasets, and people sources, our group and I decided to look for the contacts of the individuals involved in the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) Diliman project. We assigned each other an authority to profile by searching the Internet for pertinent information about them. Such knowledge we discovered through official websites includes their brief educational background, past positions in their respective departments, assignments, affiliations, and controversies. When we accomplished our profiling, we moved on by inserting documents, datasets, and people we may require to analyze, evaluate, or interview to prove or disprove our hypothesis throughout the investigative process. I found profiling officials as something that can lead to questions, leads, or breakthroughs. One may tend to assume that the individual you are looking i...

Scouring Sources Published: October 20, 2023 The Department of Public Works and Highways' tarpaulin details its construction of the PGH Diliman Resettlement. Taken on October 5, 2023. (Courtesy: Mervin Manaois) Finding one source is essential in the formation of a meaningful investigative report. However, one must remember that a single piece of information obtained through physical or digital means would not suffice, supplement, or support any arguments one may produce. Throughout my journey in my course so far in journalism, I have realized that one must strive to gather information or knowledge from varying sources to reinforce and complement a report. Moreover, it is substantial to cross-check and fact-check primary and secondary sources of information to ensure that the investigative process has no inaccuracies. Furthermore, I realized that not all things are easy. Acquiring relevant knowledge requires time and careful consideration of the source’s credibility. Our progress ...

  Rainy Revelations Published: October 6, 2023 Myrna Replada (left), Block Two Ledaer, telling their story to Paulo(middle) and Glecelyn (right) (Courtesy: Mervin Manaois) Paulo, Glecelyn and I went off to UP Diliman’s Pook Arboretum – one of (if not) the last urban forests in Quezon City – and interviewed two local leaders from Block One and Two as the starting point of our investigative report. On September 5, 2023, it was the day I realized, similar to my past documentary class, that investigative journalism is an intricate process. I feared as we gathered at Plaridel Hall, we would not collect any valuable data during our trip. Also, I doubted early if our initial topic and efforts about Pook Arboretum would be futile. Inclement weather welcomed us upon leaving Plaridel Hall to Pook Arboretum. “Ang lupaing ito ay ipinagmamay-ari ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas,” are the texts written on several signs near Pook Arboretum, indicating that we were on track. We then spent time walkin...