Atom Araullo opens up on what motivates him as a journalist

Atom Araullo has worked on plenty of stories in his five years with GMA Network. He has covered the Rohingya refugee crisis, the Hong Kong protests, and the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, among others.

Now that he has renewed his contract as a Kapuso, what kind of stories does he want to tell next?

In an interview with GMA Integrated News, Atom said he still has many stories that he wants to do that it's difficult to name them one by one.

"Gusto ko lang 'yung china-challenge 'yung sarili ko and also to take on more complicated stories that require deeper investigation, and also commitment to find out what's happening and to get to the bottom of things," he said.

"I guess I can say I like doing stories about conflict, about the human condition, about the social issues that people face."

Atom said what he likes about his job is the challenge and excitement it brings every single day, as well as the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people.

"Hindi naman bonggang-bongga na bawat storya na nilalabas mo magbabago ang mundo. Pero nagco-contribute ka kahit paano, pa-konti-konti sa mga pagbabago na 'yun," said the "State of the Nation" anchor.

"I think that's unique, it's a special feature of this kind of job. So that's why I keep doing it."

Atom received several awards this year for "The Atom Araullo Specials: Munting Bisig," which won the Best Asian Documentary at the Asia Content Awards in October.

It also bagged accolades the Cannes Corporate Media and TV Awards and the New York Festivals TV and Film Awards 2022.

Asked how he feels about the achievements, Atom said he is proud but was quick to add that the recognition belongs to the whole organization.

"It's a great validation of the work that we do, parang it's nice to hit those milestones so that you have an idea that your work is good work and doing quality work," he said.

"But ultimately at the end of the day, maliit na bagay lang 'yun. Ang importante, nakikita namin may impact sa mga tao 'yung mga storya na ginagawa namin."

—MGP, GMA Integrated News