[Rappler Investigates] No pain, no gain in investigations

Monday this week, just a minute before midnight, marked the absolute deadline for submission of the final project for the Investigative Journalism class I was teaching. Just a few days before, on Friday last week, there were last-minute interviews and an overhaul of the class’ second draft, which students in my class confessed, they were not too thrilled about. Neither was I. 

The five students in that “tutorial” class were reporting on the New San Mateo Sanitary Landfill in Rizal. They were looking at various angles at the start — possible corruption, environmental safety issues, violation of environmental laws, etc. But the draft end product felt cold. It had no heart, no emotion, and was just a smattering of quotes, statistics, and laws. It didn’t feel like it was a story being told.

The students knew in their heart of hearts that they had to do a better job of capturing the essence of the story and making readers care about it. They had not obsessed enough, not been curious enough, not asked pointed questions enough, nor imagined enough how the story would unravel.

In the Rappler newsroom meanwhile, Friday, November 28, also signaled a flurry of activity in one of our many Telegram channels. The appeals chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) was expected to release its ruling on the request of former president Rodrigo Duterte for interim release. 

Senior reporter Lian Buan and I — along with several others in the newsroom or wherever else they were — were monitoring the ICC livestream, even as former Rappler reporter Michelle Abad, who is now studying in The Hague, was watching closely on the ground. Here’s a list of other related stories pertaining to the judgment of the appeals chamber to reject Duterte’s appeal and confirm the September decision of the pre-trial chamber:

• Duterte at the ICC: Key dates to remember
• FACT CHECK: ICC did not reverse decision rejecting  Duterte’s interim release
• HOLIDAY READS: Rodrigo Duterte at the International Criminal Court
• Duterte grandson, supporters slam ICC’s ‘inhumane’ denial of release
• [Pastilan] Cult of personality: From Charles Manson to Rodrigo Duterte 

Lian’s story on the rejection of Duterte’s petition lent human faces to an otherwise legalistic-sounding story. While family members of victims of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) likely did not understand most of the ICC proceedings, they had one common question: When will the trial of Duterte start?

After all, it’s been about nine months since Duterte’s arrest in March for alleged crimes against humanity. A formal trial has yet to begin, with a panel of experts still to determine by this Friday, December 5, whether the man who ordered thousands killed in the name of his brutal drug war is fit to stand trial. The irony of him being accorded the full benefits of due process, which he himself denied EJK victims, cannot be lost on many. 

Omar Duterte’s outcry against what he called “borderline inhumane” detention of his 80-year-old grandfather is another example of life’s ironies. Omar, if you recall, is the eldest son of Paolo by his first wife, Lovelie Sangkola, and is now Davao City’s 2nd District representative. The 31-year-old has joined his father Paolo in the House of Representatives.

What is certain at the moment is that the former president will spend Christmas in detention in the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague. Given its facilities, it is certainly far from inhumane. If my students read Lian’s story on the ICC’s ruling on Duterte’s appeal for interim release, and heard the voices of the women left behind, they would have seen how humanizing a story can make a world of difference. (They did submit a revised draft, much better than the previous ones.)

Before I forget, it IS December, a time to slow down, be still, and be thankful for the year that was. Journalists, however, are perhaps cursed to be forever on the go, constantly on the hunt for stories that will impact lives. 

On Wednesday, December 10 next week, I will be introducing four of our courageous reporters who have been reporting non-stop on corruption that has been gnawing at the nation’s very fabric and core — you’ve most likely watched or read their numerous stories on anomalous flood control projects: Lian, Dwight de Leon, Jairo Bolledo, and Patrick Cruz. How they do investigative stories, why they do investigations, what keeps them going despite the challenges they face will be some of the questions that Community lead Pia Ranada will be asking in this exclusive briefing for Rappler+ members in our newsroom.

If you do come or attend, you’ll get the chance to ask Lian, too, about her latest investigative story about an official close to the President, and who has been linked to a construction company that bagged millions of pesos worth of projects in the President’s home province of Ilocos Norte.

I told you, no rest for the wicked! We, at Rappler, keep at it because we believe that you deserve to know. Till Thursday after next!

The President’s report: Marcos communicates a mess he started 

Why is ICI chair Reyes averse to livestreaming hearings?

What’s the algorithmic formula for DPWH’s allocable budget?

Who is DOJ Usec Jose Cadiz Jr., alleged bagman of President Marcos?

Bulatlat’s victory vs Duterte-time blocking order also a win for press freedom

– Rappler.com

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