GMA’s Tordecilla is 2023 Nieman fellow, to study for a year in Harvard

JAEMARK TORDECILLA, head of digital media at GMA News and senior assistant vice president at GMA Network, has been selected by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism as one of 24 global journalists for a year of study at Harvard University. 

Tordecilla will study audience trust in media organizations and what newsrooms can do to strengthen that trust and build engagement. “We’ve been having this conversation for the past two decades, at different points of technology and media, we’ve been talking about the future of media,” Tordecilla said in GMA’s The Howie Severino Podcast. His study in Harvard, he said, is “a continuation of that thought process.”

The Nieman fellows are investigative reporters, podcasters, filmmakers, video and photojournalists, and newsroom leaders, among others. For two semesters on campus beginning in July, the fellows will examine “the growing threats to democracy and the free press.” They will also study the use of AI in reporting, the innovations in storytelling, trust in media, and so-called solutions journalism. They will also look into the media’s role in political polarization and how journalists report under repressive regimes. Climate destabilization, trauma, and scientific advances in health care are also going to be tackled.

The foundation has selected more than 1,700 journalists from 100 countries since 1983. “These inspiring journalists are working to elevate and redefine our industry at a critical moment,” said Ann Marie Lipinski of the Nieman Foundation. 

Tordecilla was named as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men in 2021 by the Junior Chamber International Philippines. His leadership in GMA’s digital media has also led to recognition by institutions such as WAN-IFRA, the Society of Publishers in Asia, and the New York Festivals. 

A Philippine Science High School graduate, he holds a degree in computer science and a master’s degree in technology management, both from the University of the Philippines. He previously worked with the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism and TV5’s InterAksyon.com. 

Several Filipino journalists have been awarded the Nieman fellowship over the years, among them Marites Dañguilan Vitug in 1987, John Nery in 2012, Maria Lourdes “Nini” Cabaero” in 2013, and Glenda Gloria in 2017.