[Inside the Newsroom] The issues we do for love… 

…of journalism, of scoops, of stable tales, and of our group

There’s a put up that’s been going round for years now a few humorous disclaimer by a journalist when you occur to be involved in courting her: Don’t be alarmed by her looking historical past. You’ll discover searches for the place a killer would conceal a physique, what are the potential escape routes from a specific metropolis, how you can pierce by way of layers of financial institution accounts utilized in cash laundering — issues like that. However, chill out, the joke goes, these are for her investigative stories, and by no means indicative that she’s some lunatic, serial killer, or scammer. 

Okay, when you didn’t discover it humorous (uptight, hmp!), welcome to the newsroom! This publication — the place Rappler “[shares] tales, each mild and severe, from the individuals who make sense of the information” — must be your initiation right into a world the place all the pieces is taken severely. Too severely, in truth, that we in all probability have a wierd sense of what’s amusing — we giggle recounting the dangers we’ve taken, the risks we’ve had a brush with, the “I shocked even myself” split-second choices we made simply to place a narrative collectively. 

(I attempted to return to articles I’ve written in February over time, and, my, I’m really one who can’t be lighthearted even in the course of the month or week of affection or when writing about relationships: Weddings within the time of the coronavirus, Would you date a journalist – a Rappler journalist?, and from the upcoming Newsbreak journal archives: “Backstreet Enterprise” in regards to the abortion business, and “Just for the Wealthy” in regards to the economics of annulment.) 

I’m Miriam Grace A. Go, Rappler’s managing editor, and that intro is my method of asking: Indulge us this Valentine weekend as we recall what cautions a few of us threw into the wind, and what lengths we’ve gone to, for the love of journalism, of scoops, of stable tales. 

Through the years, you’ve watched the movies of Rappler journalists being harassed or dealing with hazard whereas doing their job: Pia Ranada being prevented from getting into Malacañang, the place she was an accredited press corps member; Lian Buan being shoved by individuals who knew she can be asking tough questions of presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the course of the 2022 marketing campaign; JC Gotinga being blocked by vloggers who didn’t like his scrutiny of mayoral candidate Sarah Discaya in 2025.

You haven’t heard, although, of behind-the-scenes enterprise by reporters and researchers. So right here goes… 

• On election evening in 2025, Reinnard Balonzo was stationed on the Albay capitol to report on the proclamation of winners, and was scheduled to go to the Daraga evening market after to do interviews for his story on how vote shopping for had been normalized within the province. Between these two assignments, he acquired phrase that one of many grandfathers who raised him had died. He held himself collectively and went house solely after his protection.   
• Nad Balonzo has been engaged on infrastructure corruption in Albay. At first, although, he solely had leads from numerous tipsters, however didn’t understand how and the place precisely to start his analysis, interviews, and paper path. After a while, a supply within the development business in Bicol lastly talked — for background functions solely — however not till Nad needed to put up with the supply who wished to drink till 3 am. 
• If Jairo Bolledo have been to have a present or write a e book, we’d title it “Dispatch from a Rescue Truck.” Right here’s why: On September 4, 2024, he needed to be on the Home of Representatives to cowl the quad committee listening to on Philippine offshore gaming operators. However a tropical cyclone hit Luzon and triggered flooding in his hometown. Lined up for a jeepney trip for 2 hours, no luck. A rescue truck deployed by the native authorities arrived, and he jumped on it. Midway, information broke that Alice Guo was arrested in Indonesia. So there, whereas standing in a packed area of weary commuters, he known as sources to substantiate the information, broke it on Rappler channels, and typed away the story with one hand. 
• Through the pandemic, the Fee on Elections was a “notoriously tough” workplace to cowl. The spokesperson’s workplace routinely ignored requests for paperwork, however Dwight de Leon wished to verify a particular doc existed and that even only one line in an explainer might stand scrutiny. He braved the lockdown (however adopted protocols) within the early 2020s, and went to a different Comelec division that was keen to present a replica of the memo that had by no means been uploaded on-line. It was on a ground that was off-limits to reporters, so a guard caught, reprimanded, and escorted him out. He acquired the doc — that’s what mattered.  
• “No tremendous wild story,” says Delfin Dioquino, however think about coverages like this: Within the final Southeast Asian Video games in Thailand, the place he was a part of the Philippines’ reportorial pool, he traveled with fellow reporters practically 500 kilometers by land EVERY SINGLE DAY to catch the championship matches of a number of sports activities which featured Philippine athletes. EVERY SINGLE DAY, they would depart the lodge at round 5 am and returned at 2 am the following day — leaving them with lower than three hours of sleep! 
• Jodesz Gavilan takes being the senior researcher to coronary heart — a lot in order that she went past paperwork and interviews for one final affirmation that former Home speaker Martin Romualdez is linked to the possession of a mansion in Spain. By “past” we imply she watched tons of of TikTok movies and social media posts to map out how Romualdez was linked to entrepreneur Crystal Jacinto, who occurs to essentially like posting on-line. Jodesz says, “That course of confirmed how seemingly mundane on-line content material (what Gen Zs name mind rot content material) can turn out to be essential proof when pieced collectively fastidiously.”  
• John Sitchon had been serving to examine how academic supplies that the Division of Training had paid for weren’t delivered by a tiny logistics firm. They have been stored in warehouses in Cebu and Pampanga. All paperwork had been secured, all information in regards to the deal had been confirmed, we had talked to sources, and the ultimate affirmation we wanted was to see the provides really within the warehouses. So what did John do in Mandaue Metropolis? He climbed a wall, caught his toes and again to stay regular, and stretched his arm by way of the grills to take a photograph of the within of the unguarded warehouse.

I hope that like us, you will discover these adventures amusing after the actual fact. However I additionally need us, each journalists and the viewers, to understand that, in the long run, the rationale we do these items is for the love of our group. It’s the problems that have an effect on the group’s life — the problems that matter to you, the problems you need to struggle for — that we need to transfer heaven and earth to uncover. 

What points would you like us to pursue? You may ship us leads by way of the investigative@rappler.com electronic mail and our #CorruptionWatch channel on the Rappler app. You can even donate to our investigative fund or join Rappler+ membership to help the work that we do.

RECOMMENDED STORIES

– Rappler.com