For 29 years, The Standard has thrived in a highly competitive industry by tackling important issues with intelligence and truth. This newspaper has gone through many changes over the past three decades. It’s changed hands and changed its name. Itís confronted the new challenges presented by niche papers, broadcast television, and 24-hour news channels. But the most exciting changes are happening right now. In the digital age, the Internet and mobile technology are constantly transforming the way readers seek and consume news. Alerts and notifications deliver breaking news to smartphones in real time. Blogs, social media feeds and messenger apps allow people to share what they think about the news that’s most important to them. Algorithms push the most discussed and most viewed stories to the top of a user’s feed. Aggregators customize the news experience by gathering content from a mix of online sources around the world.
With so much information at our fingertips, it’s easy to get caught up in the most controversial or buzzed about stories and lose sight of what’s relevant. Our minds crave novelty and distraction, and the ease of accumulating and sharing information through mobile devices is changing behavior in ways that previous generations could never imagine. Is keeping up with an endless stream of status updates and breaking news alerts affecting our attention spans and ability to think critically? How many news flashes consumed in the last month have made an impact on us and really changed the way we act? Has gathering information become more important than being informed?
The Standard is seizing the opportunity to evolve with the rapidly changing media landscape. In the past year, this newspaper has undergone a transformative shift with more purposive editorial force, cutting-edge technology, and the seamless integration of platforms. We realized the need for fast, tactile, original content that’s accessible, in-depth, and presented in a relevant and compelling way. With the print edition’s compact tallboy format, we have changed the paradigm with the way we deliver the news. The visually rich stories and sharp, concise writing empower readers to form their own opinions and take a stand. With augmented reality, videos, and live streaming, technology adds an interactive layer to the life of the paper online. Our website thestandard.com.ph is visited daily by hundreds of thousands of unique users from all over the world, many driven from referral links on social media feeds and mobile messenger apps. We hope to inspire the ideas that drive change with active participation in both online and offline communities.
Visionaries driving the change we need
A country on the brink of change needs individuals whose actions motivate us to look beyond ourselves to envision a better world. On December 4, 2015, we launched The Standard Visionary Awards, an annual celebration of creative, innovative, dedicated, and compassionate visionaries who are taking a stand and changing the world to help the people around them.
Among the 21 agents of change The Standard recognized were Charie Villa, a citizen journalist whose social platform Tao Po! gives citizens a space to demand better service from companies and government leaders; Aisa and Raphael Mijeno, siblings who invented a lamp that runs on salt water and metal; QuintinPastrana, a literacy advocate whose Library Renewal Partnership has built over 100 libraries; Kevin Lee, a social entrepreneur whose A Single Safe Drop of Water program works to deliver safe water to poor communities; and Jaafar Kimpa, who travels to far-flung regions of Mindanao to register undocumented Muslims and give them the rights and benefits they deserve as Filipino citizens. By sharing their stories we hope to bring attention to their causes and help them continue to drive the change they envision—and inspire others to be visionaries in their own ways.
Recognition
Our fresh perspective and willingness to take a stand received recognition at the Rotary Club of Manila 2015 Journalism Awards. The Standard was named Rotary Club of Manila’s Newspaper of the Year for its hard-hitting, crucial, and fair reporting, particularly for the scoops and exposés on the participation of resigned Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima in the Mamasapano incident and alleged payola to guarantee the swift passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). The Standard was also recognized for innovations in format as the country’s first tallboy-sized daily and its interactive digital platform.
Powered by our strong editorial team and supported by the integration of our online and offline platforms, we have transformed the way our readers experience and consume information in a way that is more powerful, more intuitive, and ultimately more important to them. By delivering concise, visually rich, engaging stories with a clean design and strategic, relevant online presence, The Standard finds its audience where they are and connects with people who share its vision for change.
Our quest for innovation doesn’t end with the printed word. We will stay true to our mission of fair and fearless journalism by using our strengths to effect change beyond new formats and channels. The spirit of the revolution lives on within the pages of The Standard, a newspaper that delivers the news without sensationalism and allows the voices clamoring for change to be heard through fearless editorial writing. The Standard will continue to define the news by empowering readers with in-depth reporting that shapes informed opinions. It will cut through the clutter to deliver everything our readers need to take a stand on important issues and move forward together in the direction of meaningful transformation.