EXCLUSIVE: Kapuso resident political analyst Richard Heydarian tapped to be part of the flagship digital newscast 'Stand For Truth'

Political analyst and highly-respected book author Richard Heydarian welcomes the exciting opportunity to be part of the groundbreaking project of the multi-awarded team of GMA News and Public Affairs and YouTube as they launch the digital newscast Stand For Truth, which aims to revolutionize the way Filipinos consume news.

Born in Baguio, the former professor took up Political Science at the University of the Philippines-Diliman.

He previously taught at two of the top universities in the country- De La Salle University and the Ateneo De Manila University and is known for his expertise in the South China Sea dispute and Philippine current affairs.

Heydarian was also honored as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons in the World (TOYP) last year for his contributions to social sciences. He also delivers lectures and talks at leading universities around the world, including Harvard University, Stanford University, and Australian National University, and is incoming Fellow at National Chengchi University in Taiwan.

His latest book “The Rise of Duterte: A Populist Revolt Against Elite Democracy”, published by Palgrave Macmillan, was placed on The Financial Times' “Best of Weekend Long Reads” list as well.

But how did a college professor and international columnist land the role of Kapuso Network's top political analyst?

In his sit-down interview with GMANetwork.com, Richard Heydarian speaks about how he started his career on television.

"Well nag-start ako in terms of my media exposure first as a writer for international publications. I write around the world including New York Times, Washington Post, among other things."

"And then medyo napansin ako sa local media I think I started 2014 mostly West Philippines issues "

"The break was really during the 2016 elections, when nag-transition na ako from foreign policy to domestic politics. In fact, I wrote a blog on Huffington Post 'Is this the end of Philippine democracy?' And it went viral ."

Two years ago, he embarked on a new journey as the Kapuso Network's resident political analyst.

Richard tells GMANetwork.com that his current job in the network presents a unique challenge for him.

"I like GMA because medyo nacha-challenge ako dahil kailangan ko mag-Tagalog. So in a way I saw that it will help me na ma-fine tune 'yung analysis ko in a way na mag-appeal to a broader audience."

Now, Richard is gearing up to take on bigger role as one of the main anchors of the new digital newscast Stand For Truth.

He says that their show caters to the millennial audience. "This is really a world standard cutting edge, pioneering kind of public affairs analysis that really caters to millennials and done by millennials."

Heydarian also lauded the team that GMA News Public Affairs put together for Stand For Truth. He is also looking forward to working with his co-anchors, award-winning broadcast journalist Atom Araullo and Unang Hirit host Joyce Pring.

Stand For Truth is a cutting-edge digital newscast that will employ the latest technology with their new breed of reporters gathering stories through their mobiles phones.

"I'm very glad that there is actually a team involved. You know you have a full-fledged journalist like Atom (Araullo) and then, of course, Joyce (Pring) is there to do more of like lifestyle content so it's a good mix. I'm actually very confident in the team."