Globe Telecom launched the first Cebu Media Excellence Awards as a means to pay tribute and give recognition to print, broadcast and digital media practitioners who have excelled in the profession and practice of journalism.
The awards were launched on Sept. 21 during the celebration of the 17th Cebu Press Freedom Week.
“Cebu has a rich history of journalism, which continues to this day,” said Yoly Crisanto, head of Corporate Communications of Globe Telecom
“The Cebu Media Excellence Awards honors the rich tradition of journalism in Cebu and recognizes the men and women who continue to uphold this tradition of public service through excellent, professional and ethical media practice.”
The mechanics and screening process will be announced in a formal launch in January 2012.
The first batch of awardees will be revealed next Sept. 21 during the Cebu Press Freedom Week celebration.
Crisanto said the Globe awards stemmed from the belief that sustaining journalistic excellence in Cebu promotes and broadens press freedom.
Today, there are at least 16 AM stations operating in Cebu City and 23 FM stations.
There are about ten broadcast networks with local operations, and various local publications, including The Freeman, Cebu Daily News and Sun Star Daily.
Cebu also has an active digital media community of bloggers and online publications.
Globe Telecom has been supporting the Cebu Press Freedom Week for over a decade.
Globe has also been the presenter of the annual awards of the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (EJAP), the premier organization of print, broadcast and electronic business reporters and editors in the country.
Cebu’s first publication was a weekly paper “El Boletin de Cebu” published in 1886.