Broadcast journalist Atom Araullo, Rappler’s Head of Community Pia Ranada, and food content creator-entrepreneur Erwan Heussaff gathered on Monday, June 29, at the launch of Rolling Stone Philippines Voices to talk about responsible storytelling and why it matters.
The panel discussion was moderated by Rolling Stone Philippines Chief of Editorial Content Jonty Cruz, who kicked the discussion off by asking the three guests what attracted them to storytelling. Araullo, cover star of Rolling Stone Philippines’ July issue, said, “I loved leafing through back issues. I was drawn into photography, which is a form of storytelling, and I also liked watching documentaries.”
“My mom used to read me bedtime stories,” said Ranada, who considered stories her “safe space” as a child and her inspiration for getting into campus journalism at a young age. “I went to the publication of my grade school, Miriam College.”
For Heussaff, his career in food content creation started with sharing recipes for weight management and learning that there was a “gap” between the Philippines being a food-obsessed country and a lack of curiosity about food. “As we traveled the Philippines, we had conversations with artisans, agriculturists, and just people who are there making our food on a day-to-day,” he said. “And I realized there weren’t a lot of platforms for these people to tell their stories, and I think that was something that we wanted to try to approach and try to fix.”
Araullo, Ranada, and Heussaff have all navigated the different parts of the media industry. Araullo, who currently hosts GMA’s State of the Nation, also founded the independent news platform FYT and has been appointed National Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Ranada now heads Rappler’s Community and oversees the outlet’s media literacy and citizen journalism programs, years after enduring harassment as a political reporter during the Duterte administration. Lastly, Heussaff has traversed the country’s regions to paint a more holistic picture of our food culture and heritage through the platform FEATR. His work earned him a James Beard Broadcast Media Award in the social media category in 2023.
Overcoming Setbacks
Despite the acclaim and successes, the three are not immune to failures and setbacks. “I’m not a journalist, but we had to learn that rigor,” said Heussaff. “In the beginning, we had a lot of mistakes in terms of how we approached research. And I think the biggest mistake we would make was to force our perspective on people, and our assumptions on people. So the very first few documentaries or features that we did just didn’t feel very genuine or authentic.”
Ranada then talked about the struggle of engaging with a community when tackling volatile subjects such as politics. “If you make [politics] something so separate from you, because it’s so dangerous, it’s so sensitive, you actually lose an opportunity to get into people’s minds,” she said. “Politics at the end of the day is about how we are governed. So if you get people to talk about politics, you’re not just getting them to talk about what’s happening in the Senate or the latest crazy soundbite from a senator or from a politician. You want to get them to talk about how [politicians] will deliver.”
Araullo also talked about making long-form documentaries at a time when “short-form is king.” “We need more storytelling that’s nuanced, that’s deeply reported, that takes time to produce,” he said. “My job is just to do the best I can, keeping notes and keeping a pulse on what people want. I don’t want to create the best documentary that nobody watched.”
The Rolling Stone Philippines Voices Issue celebrates storytellers who amplify the concerns and interests of our nation and push their disciplines forward. This issue also includes FlipTop founder Anygma, photographer Geloy Concepcion, and drag queen Marina Summers.
Rolling Stone Philippines’ Voices Issue is now available for pre-order on Sari-sari Shopping and in major newsstands soon.
Get digital access to the latest issue here.
