PPI Launches Digital Shift, Honors Local News

The Philippine Press Institute (PPI) marked its 61st year with a bold step into the digital age, rolling out its PPI News Commons initiative to equip community newspapers with tools for transformation and sustainability.

Launched at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the PPI News Commons now serves as both a news-aggregating website and a collaborative platform, underscoring PPI’s pioneering role in guiding the local press through rapid technological and ethical changes.

“The PPI as a formidable organization and the www.ppinewscommons.net as a groundbreaking news-aggregating website — feed each other, it has to, to keep each other alive,” said Ariel Sebellino, PPI executive director.

Sebellino also emphasized that the Media-Citizen Councils represent “the heart and conscience of the symbiotic relationship between the media and the community they serve.”

The PPI, founded in 1964 and regarded as the country’s oldest national association of newspapers, is also spotlighting mechanisms for press accountability and safety through its partnership with International Media Support (IMS) and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

A three-day pre-event at Richmonde Hotel in Eastwood City sets the stage for a second learning exchange forum on alternative dispute resolution and media self-regulation.

Currently, eleven Media-Citizen Councils, including in Iloilo headed by Daily Guardian editor-in-chief Francis Allan L. Angelo, are active across the Philippines, serving as local watchdogs and support systems for ethical journalism.

The celebration will culminate with the 29th National Press Forum and General Membership Meeting, focusing on innovative strategies to sustain print journalism amid declining ad revenues and digital disruption.

Among the key themes are the Journalist Trust Initiative (JTI) and enduring partnerships with Nickel Asia Corporation (NAC) and Megaworld Corporation — companies supporting press freedom through continuous funding and convening of local media.

The PPI will also host the 2024 Community Press Awards, the country’s longest-running awards program for local newspapers.

This year’s competition includes a new category — best regional websites — in response to the digital shift in news production and consumption.

Finalists for the weekly category include Baguio Chronicle, MetroPost, Herald Express, Pahayagang Balikas, and EV Mail.

Daily category contenders include Daily Guardian, Sun.Star Cebu, Sun.Star Davao, Sun.Star Pampanga, and Panay News.

They will vie for awards in best regional websites, best edited community newspaper, best in photojournalism, best editorial page, best environmental reporting, and best business and economic reporting.

“You are the lifeblood of the organization,” said PPI chairman-president Rolando Estabillo in his message to members, affirming the vital role of local journalists in the national media landscape.

Other partners and collaborators supporting this year’s activities include the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC), Shell Pilipinas Corporation, SM Investments Corporation (SMIC), Ayala Corporation, Japan Tobacco International (JTI), AirAsia, Eastwood Richmonde Hotel, and Neitiviti Studios.

The PPI is a non-stock, non-profit organization registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, committed to defending press freedom and promoting ethical journalism across the Philippines.