GMA Brandtalk
Tracking
Archives
Stand for Truth is a pioneering force in mobile journalism
Less than a year after its launch, weeknight online newscast Stand for Truth has become a game-changer in Philippine mobile journalism, with its daily episodes earning over two million views a night online and being quoted in mainstream newscasts.
From 275,000 average daily views in April 2019, data from January 2020 shows that Stand for Truth now bats an average daily view of 2.1 million via GMA News’ Facebook page.
On YouTube, Stand for Truth recorded average daily views of 405,000 last January—a 300% increase from its average daily views of 129,000 when it first started airing.
Produced by GMA News and Public Affairs, Stand for Truth prides itself on getting and training a new breed of young reporters from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Bringing new blood to the most awarded broadcast news organization in the country, the Stand for Truth reporters have proven themselves worthy of the spotlight alongside award-winning broadcast journalist Atom Araullo and GMA resident political analyst Richard Heydarian.
Using just their mobile phones to capture stories, Stand for Truth reporters have established their niche in modern journalism.
Stand for Truth’s episodes on the week of January 13 about the ashfall caused by Taal Volcano’s phreatic eruption amassed 12 million total views on Facebook, while its January 30 episode on the confirmed case of the coronavirus disease in the Philippines became the 8th trending topic on YouTube Philippines—a record for the online newscast to date.
Stand for Truth reporters are also making their names in the industry, proving their journalistic skills in producing and reporting online news consumed by netizens. For instance, Manal Sugadol’s report on September 18, 2019 about a teacher in Bulacan (“Baby Face Teacher”) has reached 3.5 millions views on YouTube and more than one million views on Facebook within 48 hours after its first airing.
The episode remains the story with highest number of views with 6.6 million combined views on YouTube and Facebook to date.
Meanwhile, Nico Waje’s story on January 21 about the security guard who posed as a policeman (“Maangas na Sekyu”) and harassed the vendors in Manila earned two million views overnight.
As of February 19, it has 5.3 five million combined views on YouTube and Facebook.
Other stories that reached million views (combined numbers from YouTube and Facebook) include:
- Izzy Lee’s “Binigyan ng Bahay ni Heart” story (December 5, 2019) with 4.9 million views;
- Nico Waje’s “Tuyot na Ilog” (January 16, 2020) with 3.2 million views;
- Manal Sugadol’s “Coronavirus sa Paniki” (January 29, 2020) with 4 million views;
- “Barya-baryang Sahod” (October 15, 2019) by Manal Sugadol with 2.6 million views;
- Eduard Faraon’s “Exotic Meat, may Dalang Sakit?” (January 30, 2019) and “Kantang Neneng B” (November 20, 2019) with 5.2 and 2.1 million views, respectively; and
- Shai Lagarde’s “Inside Iran” (January 10, 2020) where she checked in with Filipinos living in the Middle East after tension between the US and Iran escalated following the US airstrike that killed Iranian general Qassem Suleimani. It has earned one million views on Facebook.
Stories first aired on Stand for Truth have been picked up as well by both GMA Network’s newscasts and Public Affairs programs. This only proves that the young reporters are creating content that can be used not just on mobile devices but for televisions as well.
Last August, Stand for Truth made its news and features available to viewers when it started airing back-to-back with State of the Nation (SONA) with Jessica Soho on leading local news channel GMA News TV.
On top of creating online buzz, stories produced by Stand for Truth also created public awareness that led to concerned groups taking necessary actions.
One example was Manal Sugadol’s story on what happened to animals left behind in the 14-kilometer danger zone after Taal Volcano’s phreatic eruption. She found pigs floating on ash-covered waters, cows having lung problems, and other livestock abandoned by owners in the area. This story prompted lawmakers to include animals and livestock in the evacuation plan. At the same time, private groups also took initiatives to rescue these animals.
“The future of online news is here.” Indeed, Stand for Truth has made this future a reality. And this year, netizens can only expect more stories from Stand for Truth reporters Nico Waje, Manal Sugadol, Shai Lagarde, Izzy Lee, Eduard Faraon, Mj Geronimo, Bhea Docyogen, Jm Encinas, and Anthony Esguerra as they continue the legacy and the principles the GMA newsroom has always stood for.
Stand for Truth is livestreamed from Mondays to Fridays, 8:30 p.m. via GMA News’ Facebook page and GMA Public Affairs’ YouTube channel with delayed telecast after State of the Nation (SONA) with Jessica Soho on GMA News TV.
Press release from GMA News and Public Affairs
