It gives us, the men and women who work at The Standard, great pleasure to receive the coveted Newspaper of the Year award given out by the Rotary Club of Manila. And that’s because we consider the award a vindication of our efforts to work as a team, day in and day out, to come up with a newspaper that our readers have come to rely upon for unbiased news and unflinching opinion.
Over the years, The Standard has developed a reputation for telling it like it is, in the process gaining a very loyal and continuously growing readership base. Especially with the accessibility that the Internet has brought, “What does The Standard say?” is now a question heard more and more often, and one that is increasingly answered with ease for Filipinos who want to get a more complete and comprehensive picture of what’s going on.
The Rotary Club of Manila’s recognition of The Standard’s efforts tells me that more and more people are seeking out our unique way of reporting the news and of making sense of that news. And the captains of industry and leaders of various professions who make up RCM have merely confirmed what we already knew – that no one has a monopoly of the news and of opinion, and that there should always be room for a different or even a contrarian position on the various issues that interest our readers everywhere.
At this critical time in our nation’s history, when propaganda is often bandied about as absolute truth, The Standard is here to say that everything is not as it seems. And when the people who have been entrusted with our progress and well-being betray that trust, The Standard is here to point out the fact.
As someone who’s been with The Standard almost from the first issue and who’s witnessed its various permutations over nearly three decades, I’m happy to report that the current version of your favorite paper that you hold in your hands – or are reading online – is the best it’s ever been. With the help of an enlightened new ownership and a highly professional management, there is no way for dedicated and hardworking journalists at The Standard to go but even higher.
And we’re taking you, dear reader, along with us. It’s a promise the whole team at The Standard is making.
So yes, that’s what The Standard has to say about this much-appreciated (and long overdue, in our view) award.
Jojo A. Robles
Editor-in-Chief