Building Communities: The Evolving Role of Journalists in Covering Human Rights Stories in the Philippines

Tue. Feb. 20, 2024

Thank you to everyone who attended last week's lecture and to guest speaker, Jodesz Gavilan, the 2023 Marshall McLuhan Fellow- Philippines, for her insightful and inspiring lecture.

The lecture was held on February 12th at 5:30 pm in 1L11 (Lockhart Hall) at the University of Winnipeg and was presented by the University of Winnipeg's Global College, the University of Winnipeg Department of Theatre and Film, University of the Philippines Alumni & Associates in Manitoba, Inc., Philippine Historical Society of Canada, Inc., and Aksyon Ng Ating Kabataan (ANAK), Inc.

Gavilan's lecture explored the journalist's expanding role that goes beyond reporting to include working on creating impactful solutions to social challenges. Her presentation discussed how journalism can act as a mechanism of advocacy for collaborative action and provided a blueprint for journalism that promotes positive social change and doesn't treat victims and their families as just another news story.

Jodesz Gavilan is an investigative journalist, researcher, and podcast host. She has been an investigative reporter and researcher for the independent news outlet Rappler since 2013. She hosts and produces “Newsbreak: Beyond the Stories,” a weekly podcast series on Rappler that dissects and does a deep dive into pressing issues in the Philippines.

The Embassy of Canada in the Philippines awarded her the Marshall McLuhan Fellowship in 2023 for her “unique commitment to investigative journalism, to informing the public about decisions and policies that affect their lives in support of the public interest,” and her commitment to inform, “to enable meaningful public engagement on issues in service of the public, and illustrate how investigations, facts, and transparency can ensure meaningful democratic accountability.”

The Marshall McLuhan Fellowship is the Embassy of Canada's flagship public diplomacy initiative in the Philippines. Every year, the Manila-based Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) assists the Embassy in choosing a Filipino journalist whose work has contributed to positive changes in the social arena or at least has raised the level of public discourse in a relevant issue usually concerning governance and human rights.