Chronicle

Gov’t media group abolished
THE GOVERNMENT Mass Media Group (GMMG), created to supervise and control government-owned mass media outlets, has been abolished. The move returned the government’s information dissemination powers to the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS).

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed Executive Order (EO) No. 576 abolishing the group on Nov. 7, the same day that former GMMG head Cerge Remonde took his oath as chief of the Presidential Management Staff.

Remonde headed the GMMG when it was established on Aug. 11, 2004.

EO 576 placed control of GMMG, which includes the Philippine News Agency, Bureau of Broadcast Services, Bureau of Communication Services, National Broadcasting Network Inc., Radio Philippines Network Inc., and the International Broadcasting Corporation, under the Philippine Information Agency (PIA). The PIA is under the OPS. The EO also placed the National Printing Office and the APO Production Unit under the OPS.

Pinoy is top tech journ in NZ
A FILIPINO journalist was named Hi-Tech Journalist of the Year by the Fronde Synergy New Zealand during the PricewaterhouseCoopers New Zealand Hi-Tech Awards last Nov. 4.

Divina Paredes won for the three cover stories she wrote for MIS Magazine, now known as CIO New Zealand Magazine, where she is also editor.

The winning stories include an interview with New Zealand Supercomputing Centre head and former Weta Digital CTO Scott Houston, an article on the number of migrant information and communications technology professionals who remain jobless or are underemployed in the sector while the country is experiencing a skills shortage, and a profile of Derek Locke, NZ Defence Force chief information officer.

Paredes moved to New Zealand in 2000 after spending more than 20 years in the Philippine media. She started as a writer for MIS Magazine and became its editor in 2004.

Paredes was also a finalist for best business magazine editor at the 2006 Magazine Publishers Association of New Zealand awards.

Knight Fellowship accepting applicants
THE JOHN S. Knight Fellowships, an education program for mid-career journalists, is again accepting applicants.

Based in Stanford University, the program seeks to improve the quality of news and information reaching the public through the media by deepening the understanding of journalists about the changing world.

Journalists with at least five years of experience are qualified. Applicants are judged on the quality of their work, their essays, their journalistic potential, and their letters of references.

Inquiries may be sent to knight-info@lists.stanford.edu.

GMA, ABS-CBN win at CMMA
GMA-7 and ABS-CBN dominated the news and public affairs category for television in the 28th Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA) last Nov.11.

GMA-7 was best news and public service program with 24 Oras and Imbestigador, while ABS-CBN won the best news magazine show and special coverage with Rated K and Edsa 1986: Mga Himig ng Paghihimagsik.

In the print category, the Philippine Daily Inquirer won three awards, including best editorial cartoon (Youth), best news photograph (Mudslide Victim), and best news coverage (The Guinsaugon Mudslide: Swallowed by Earth).

The CMMA was established in 1978 by the Archdiocese of Manila in recognition of the efforts of mass media in promoting Christian values.

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