Back-to-Back with State of the Nation with Jessica Soho; Stand for Truth airs on GMA News TV

GMA News and Public Affairs' online newscast Stand for Truth airs back-to-back with State of the Nation (SONA) with Jessica Soho beginning this Monday, August 5, on leading local news channel GMA News TV.

Through daily uploads of news reports and features on GMA News' Facebook page and GMA Public Affairs' YouTube Channel, the 15-minute newscast has been transforming local broadcast media through mobile journalism. Stand for Truth is anchored by multi-awarded documentarist, writer, photographer, and United Nations Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) advocate Atom Araullo, GMA resident political analyst Richard Heydarian, Kapuso personality Joyce Pring, and a pool of millennial reporters who went through rigorous training before they were deployed on the field.

Using their mobile phones, the anchors and young reporters gather video and news data, produce it into short news segments, and deliver it to Kapuso viewers. This July, Stand for Truth is already averaging 750,000 views per day on Facebook for its segments and 175,000 daily views on YouTube.

Some of the recent episodes that made a mark on netizens include Atom's one-on-one interview with Mayor Isko Moreno about his plans for the city of Manila as well as the anchor's investigative report on the Chinese-owned businesses in Boracay.

Meanwhile, Richard continues to provide on-the-spot analyses of the biggest news of the day with his data-driven discussions.

Further connecting to the present generation is Joyce's interviews with young personalities where they share their passion and aspiration in life.

The new generation of reporters-- Bhea Docyogen, Anthony Esguerra, Eduard Faraon, MJ Geronimo, Asmarie Labao, Shai Lagarde, Larize Lee, Ardo Miravalles, Darwin Quirino, and Manal Sugadol--are producing remarkable reports that continue to gain extraordinary views online.

For the show's earthquake special, Shai was the only reporter who was able to shoot footage inside the collapsed Chuzon supermarket in Porac. Her footage was picked up by other GMA news shows. Shai scored another Stand For Truth first when she was able to interview one of the victims of the controversy involving Philippine Science High School students sharing explicit photos of their schoolmates. Eduard's report on a similar file-sharing scandal which involved students from UST and nearby universities was also picked up by mainstream newscasts.

Meanwhile, Manal's coverage of the 15-year-old student who was shot inside his school in Laguna registered a whopping 1,300,000 views on Facebook as of press time. This was followed by MJ's report on the imprisonment of the security guard who shot the student and got 354,000 views on Facebook.

Manal also produced a segment on fact-checking photos and stories published on the web that got 569,000 views. Her inspiring feature of the 18-year-old senior high school student who sells lumpia for her school expenses already has 642,000 views.

Anthony, meanwhile, reported on the suspension of the odd-even scheme traffic policy in Pasig City by newly elected Mayor Vico Sotto. The said report garnered 386,000 views on Facebook. Anthony also covered Mayor Isko's order to remove the names of politicians in the public schools of Manila which now has 819,000 views on Facebook and 511,000 views on YouTube.

Aside from news, Stand for Truth also features stories that pique netizens' interest, bringing about either humor or amazement among the public. Darwin's report on the viral Tokomi brothers who dress up as beggars and pull funny pranks, for instance, received a total of 1,405,000 views in Facebook and 827, 000 views on YouTube in its two-part series.

Senior high school student Eduard went to Cutud, Pampanga during the Holy Week to witness the Pampaguenos' devotion to re-enact the crucifixion of Christ every year. The video got 971,000 views on Facebook.

Meanwhile during the election coverage, Bhea and Larize did a special focus on two of the most talked about mayors in the National Capital Region--Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno. The report already tallied 1,000,000 views on Facebook and 411,000 on YouTube. The two reporters each went to the office of these mayors on their first day of work and asked their supporters about their expectations of their new leaders.

Larize's feature on a “study now, pay later” program of a flying school in Clark, Pampanga hit 437,000 views on Facebook. She also went to check the current status of Arroceros Forest Park and the Mayor Isko's plans for its rehabilitation--the video of which received 538,000 views on Facebook and 240,000 on YouTube. She also reported the demolition of the homes along San Juan River which now has 265,000 views.

Ardo, on the other hand, got 523,000 Facebook views on his report about what went wrong with Otso Diretso's campaign that contributed to their failing to win a seat in the Senate during the midterm elections. He also covered the controversial issue of the Canadian waste dumped in the Philippines, the video of which, received 403, 000 views on YouTube.

Meanwhile, Asmarie reported the controversial issue of Ang Probinsyano Albay representative who punched a waiter inside a restaurant. The video already has 728,000 views on Facebook two weeks after it was uploaded.

Indeed, “the future of online news is here”. And this time, Stand for Truth makes its news and features available to viewers as well.

Catch Stand for Truth on television, weeknights, 10:15 p. m. on GMA News TV. Online, Stand for Truth is livestreamed from Mondays to Fridays, 8:30 p.m. via GMA News Facebook page and GMA Public Affairs YouTube channel.