Atom Araullo sounds call to courage for young journos

Posted by ReyFort Media

To be chosen as keynote speaker of the National Schools Press Conference (NSPC) is not a routine invitation. It is a major feat — NSPC reserves that stage for only the best and most respected in Philippine journalism.

This year, from April 13 to 17 in Ormoc City, that honor belongs to Alfonso Tomas “Atom” Araullo.

“Magkita-kita ta sa NSPC 2026,” says the multi-awarded GMA broadcast journalist and FYT Media co-founder.

And the question he brings with him is the one campus journalism needs most right now: “Bakit mahalaga ang campus at community journalism?”

Last February, Atom  stood before thousands of young writers at the SOCCSKSARGEN Regional Schools Press Conference in Koronadal City, South Cotabato, and gave them the core of his credo: “Tapang sa Katotohanan, Diwa ng Tunay na Pamamahayag.”

He told the delegates that journalism does not always need drama — it needs simple, stubborn courage to defend the truth. A journalist must have the “lakas ng loob” to fact-check, to verify, to stand by what is right even when someone will get angry. Popularity is not the metric. Credibility is.

In a time when information — “tama man o mali” — spreads in seconds, the daily work of “pagsusuri, pag-verify at maingat na pag-uulat” becomes even heavier. Standing for truth can invite criticism, but it remains the foundation of a free and responsible press. As he reminded them, change in society begins with a journalist who has integrity. You don’t need grand gestures to make an impact; you just need to choose truth in every single report. Every time a journalist has the courage to tell the truth, public trust is preserved and democracy is strengthened.

It was in Koronadal where Atom also drew the line that students are now quoting: “Influencers chase attention, journalists chase truth.” Not everyone who gets attention on social media delivers correct information. In the age of virality, truth is not always viral — but it is the foundation of responsible journalism.

For Atom, Ormoc is personal. The nation first saw his incisive and fearless reporting during Typhoon Yolanda in 2013 — coverage done in the very region that bore the storm’s worst. To return to Leyte not with a mic in a disaster zone, but with a keynote for the country’s best campus journalists, is a full-circle moment.

And he is not a stranger to NSPC. He is part of the NSPC story. A champion of campus and community journalism, he co-founded FYT Media in 2018 and launched its Campus Journ initiative at NSPC 2020, later helping introduce Mobile Journalism as an exhibition event — a milestone that finally recognized how students actually gather news today. Since then, he has continued promoting campus journalism in talks across the country.

The National Schools Press Conference, pursuant to Republic Act No. 7079 or the Campus Journalism Act of 1991, is the annual summit of campus journalism in the Philippines. Hosted this year by DepEd Region VIII and the Schools Division of Ormoc City, it aims to demonstrate understanding of journalism through skillful execution in print, broadcast, and online; recognize the role of journalism in advocating for social consciousness and environmental awareness; promote fair and ethical use of media; foster camaraderie through healthy competition; and give learners a real pathway to future careers in media.

The 2026 theme could not be more timely: “Mapanuri, Mapanindigan at Mapanagutang Pamamahayag” (Critical, Principled, and Accountable Journalism). In an era of AI and rapid content creation, it is a call to return to the core — critical thinking for truth and accuracy, principled action for independence and accountability for professionalism.

The contests reflect that breadth: Individual categories (English and Filipino, elementary and secondary) include News, Feature, Editorial, Sports, Copyediting and Headline Writing, Science and Technology, Photojournalism, Editorial Cartooning, Column Writing, and Mobile Journalism (exhibition, secondary). Group categories include Radio Scriptwriting and Broadcasting, Collaborative Desktop Publishing, Online Publishing (secondary), and TV Scriptwriting and Broadcasting (secondary). There will also be an Exhibit of Best Regional School Papers and the awarding of Outstanding School Paper Advisers and Campus Journalists.

Atom Araullo’s credentials give weight to his words. His writing and television work have earned both local and international acclaim — honors from the Association for International Broadcasting Awards, the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards, the Asia Contents Awards, the Online Journalism Awards and the Society of Publishers in Asia. He has won 10 medals at the New York Festivals, including 4 consecutive Gold Awards.

He was named one of The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) in 2010, and won First Prize in the Don Carlos Palanca Awards for English Essay in 2022. Beyond the newsroom, he serves as the National Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

His book, “A View from the Ground,” published by the University of the Philippines Press, is the field notes of that career — stories from armed conflict, natural disasters and social issues in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. In 2025, it won both Best Non-Fiction and Best Debut Book at the inaugural Akdang Pinoy Awards. At NSPC, he will hold a book signing and meet-and-greet at Ormoc City Hall, the Multi-purpose Hall and Alto Peak Cafe.

Because the future of Philippine journalism will be in that room — 13 to 17-year-olds learning to write a clean lead, frame a photo under pressure and cut a two-minute TV report that is fair before it is fast. And they will hear it from someone who has lived the standard they are being taught.

Atom Araullo does not come to NSPC to tell students to be famous. He comes to tell them to be credible. To be “mapanuri” when a post trends. To be “mapanindigan” when the truth is unpopular. To be “mapanagutan” when they make a mistake.

In the end, that is why campus and community journalism matters. It is where courage is practiced before the national stage demands it. It is where the choice between chasing attention and chasing truth is made — story after story.

So all roads lead to Ormoc next week— because the next generation of Filipino journalists will gather there and the journalist who has spent his career proving that courage is quiet, persistent and grounded in fact will be there to meet them. (N. D. Ferrer/ Malaya)