The emergence of the Philippines as one of the world's social media capitals —with one out of every three Filipinos on Facebook— has led to the widespread acceptance of social media as a key source of news and current information.
Earlier this year, social media came to the fore as the main channels of information concerning the magnitude 6.7 earthquake that hit Negros Island. And late last year, social media also proved crucial in reporting on, and finding help for, the victims of Typhoon Sendong in Mindanao.
“[Social media] are a direct connection to web users and TV viewers, and are an efficient avenue for gathering and delivering news. They are also platforms for receiving feedback and ideas about our programming,” says Howie Severino, Vice President for Multimedia Journalism of GMA Network.
The immediacy and impact of social media are such that they have been recognized by the Pulitzer Prize alongside traditional journalism stalwarts.
“I think you’ll continue to see social media in the breaking news category, but it will show up in others as well,” said Pulitzer Prize administrator Sig Gissler of the growing number of prize-winning stories from social media.
