In a forum where the gatekeepers of Philippine media congregate and discuss pressing concerns, MindanaoBloggers was given the opportunity to break into the consciousness of mainstream media. MediaNation is an annual convention of publishers, editors, news managers — the movers and shakers of the country’s media organizations, and it recently concluded its sixth conference.

I was invited to participate in MediaNation5.2 (it was the second conference this year) because the theme focused on news coverage of Mindanao. Also, I was tasked to apprise the members of “new media” developments in the Philippines. Other Mindanao-based journalists were also in attendance, to give their input on the issues at hand.

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In his column today, Manila Standard columnist Bong Austero (writing under Are We There Yet?) challenges his fellow journalists who write myopically about Mindanao. His words are a refreshing breath of fresh air, considering it’s coming from the general direction of Metro Manila. But it should not be surprising, because Austero grew up in Davao City.

It is good for Mindanao, what Austero brought out via his column. It was brave of him, to berate non-Mindanaoan journalists for their lack of sensitivity to real Mindanao issues, but we salute him for this. If only more of the traditional media would be as circumspect in their writings about our precious island…

I don’t want to sound self-serving by bringing focus to this columnist’s article — because it’s largely about yours truly. But no matter, the true champion here is Mindanao. So, please take the time to read Austero’s article, “The blogger from Mindanao“.