Philippines’ Rappler Completes Special Project on the Environment, Elections and Plastic Pollution with EJN Support
Earlier this year, Internews’ Earth Journalism Network awarded Rappler, a Philippines-based online news website, a special project grant through its Asia-Pacific project.
Rappler is a member of the Poynter Institute's International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), and has partnered with Facebook on its global fact-checking program. Its founder, journalist Maria Ressa, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 for safeguarding freedom of expression in her homeland.
“The Philippines is a perfect laboratory of stories to humanize the effects of environmental degradation and even climate change impacts. So strengthening environmental reporting and supporting media organizations like Rappler are a big boost to increase the quality, reach and quantity of their reporting,” said Imelda Abano, Internews EJN’s Senior Coordinator for the Philippines and Pacific Region.
From March to October 2022, Rappler produced, with EJN support, a series of stories on two issues:
- The Duterte administration’s environmental legacy and the 2022 electoral candidates’ climate and environmental agendas;
- plastic pollution in the time of Covid-19, the unrecognized work of the country’s waste pickers, and the vulnerability of women involved in informal waste segregation.
The news outlet also produced two videos as part of the series, on the outgoing government’s impact on Indigenous peoples and environmental defenders, and on a community-led effort to fight back against plastic waste on Apo Island in Negros Oriental.
“We’ve always believed that Rappler’s journalism is only as good as the community that supports it and the technology that fuels it. Our partnership with EJN has allowed us to tell stories that we hope have inspired and mobilized communities as they deal with some of the world’s most pressing problems," said Rappler’s executive editor Glenda Gloria.
To learn more about the Asia-Pacific project, visit the EJN website.
Banner image: Riza Santoyo, 34, makes a living from collecting, sorting, and selling recyclables, such as plastic bottles and aluminum cans. She roams the streets of Quezon City and also collects wastes from her neighbors / Credit: Jhesset O. Enano.
