“A journalist’s job is to make the important interesting,” Rappler’s Mindanao coordinator Herbie Gomez shared this quote with fellows during our in-person training at the Rappler office in December 2023. 

Little did I know that these words would resonate with me throughout the program. 

When I was still a reporter at a digital media agency assigned to cover city hall stories in Cebu for almost two years, I held the notion that readers my age preferred light, fun, and entertaining topics over discussions of city council sessions, budgets, and city ordinance deliberations.

For a while, I believed I was only writing for the elderly and those who truly cared about how the city was being managed. This belief somehow discouraged me from being more creative in my storytelling, and for a while I adhered strictly to a plain structure in writing these stories. 

As I worked on stories for Rappler’s journalism fellowship program, I later on learned to utilize various presentations and techniques to complement my text reports. I began appreciating the use of graphs, embedding social media posts, and incorporating more photos into my stories. 

Writing for a digital news organization gave me the freedom to imagine and actualize how I wanted my story to be presented. This allowed me, I believe, to capture the interest of readers my age and make important topics more engaging. All of these without sacrificing my old readers.

One example of this is my two-part long-form story with the titles: (1) How social media ownership dispute stirred Cebu City politics, and (2) How a former Cebu City gov’t Facebook page became a “propaganda” tool. These stories tackled how the lack of social media-use policy puts government social media accounts susceptible to abuse and misuse.

The screenshots I embedded in these stories aided the readers to easily see and appreciate what particular details and Facebook posts, for that matter, I was pointing out.

It was because of this experience that I also realized that I do not need to choose which is better – print reporting or digital. Both are essential: the discipline of multi-layer verification that is practiced in writing for print and the creative ability provided by the digital platforms in reporting complement each other.

The training

Alongside this realization, the program also paved the way for my first experience with intensive investigative reporting training. 

From lectures on fact-checking, using spreadsheets for data gathering, and understanding the current state of media in the country, to conducting investigations and long-form writing, I had the privilege to learn from veteran journalists in the industry. 

I went through more than two drafts for my long-form, and am immensely grateful to all the training mentors at the Rappler/Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship for their constructive criticism and for pointing out areas for improvement. 

Rappler’s head of research and investigative Chay Hofileña, whom I consider as my mentor, gave me practical tips that helped me a lot in dealing with challenging and intimidating sources.

This was in addition to helping me realize how to treat the story properly and stitch it in a way that it has a clear focus on the narrative I wanted to tell. She made me realize that even complex topics can be explained simply with good storytelling.

I appreciate the Rappler team’s willingness to lend their resources and expertise. The training was extensive as it not only covered discussions on disinformation and how to address it, but also taught me how to use the tools needed for fact-checking. 

From actually looking for dubious content and information to writing an equivalent fact-check article for it, it was truly a fun yet challenging task, I must say. 

The fellowship has facilitated my personal growth and positively influenced my career development, equipping me with new skills and providing the opportunity to work with, and be mentored by, some of the best in the field. 

My heartfelt appreciation also goes to my fellow journalists who participated in the program, too, for the support and learning we shared. It was an honor to work with them.

I am amazed by the stories that our batch, the third batch, has produced, and I am certain that even after the training program, the fellows will continue to write stories that matter. With the extensive training, joining the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship is truly an incredible opportunity for any journalist in their career. – Rappler.com

Wenilyn Sabalo is a community journalist currently affiliated with SunStar Cebu and is an Aries Rufo Journalism fellow of Rappler for 2023-2024.