COVID-19 is reshaping the entire world, including newsrooms that are now exploring new ways to bring stories to the public. We now see broadcasters working outside their studios, newspapers shifting online, and interviews done remotely – just to bring verified and accurate stories to the audience.
Mindanao Times publisher Atty. Jesus Dureza, who was this paper’s editor when Martial Law was declared in 1972, reminisced that the press only stopped for two weeks then, resuming as soon as the guidelines on the printing of the newspaper was released by then Pres. Ferdinand Marcos. On the second week of October 1972, the paper was back on the streets although the galley sheets had to pass the scrutiny of the office of the chief of the Philippine Constabulary in the city , now the Davao City Police Office. Since then, the Times never failed to print daily.
Last Saturday, after a week of brainstorming, the Times management decided to shift to an online platform. It was not an easy decision to make but due to the exigencies of the times, the management felt it had to streamline and ask reporters and other editorial staff to work at home. By Friday, with the curfew and lockdown, the printing press shut down. Mindanao Times can be downloaded for free online.
Atty. Dureza assured readers that that the paper will still release its daily issue through the website, www.mindanaotimes.com.ph and social media channels (@mindanaotimes on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram). The paper has also decided to release daily copies online, for free, through issuu.com.
We are continuing to learn and explore how we can better serve our readers using the technology available to us today. In these trying times, we hope our contribution, however small, can help flatten the curve.
