Globe pushes meaningful storytelling as AI transforms journalism

• IN PHOTO: Globe Chief Sustainability and Corporate Communications Officer Yoly Crisanto (Courtesy of Cebu Press Freedom Week).

As artificial intelligence reshapes how journalists gather, produce, and distribute information, Globe emphasized the importance of keeping meaningful storytelling at the heart of journalism despite rapid changes in technology.

Speaking before members of the Cebu media community during an event with the Cebu Federation of Beat Journalists (CFBJ), Globe Chief Sustainability and Corporate Communications Officer Yoly Crisanto said the next generation of journalists will likely work with technologies that were difficult to imagine years ago.

“The next young journalists will probably be working with tools that we could never imagine when we were young. But one lesson remains. It is never really about the gadget or the technology. It has always been about the story that makes the difference,” Crisanto said.

The gathering was held in celebration of Cebu Press Freedom Week and also marked another chapter for CFBJ, including the recognition of its newly elected officers for 2026 and 2027.

Crisanto shared the story of a student journalist from Romblon who joined a Department of Education regional schools press conference competition in mobile journalism to illustrate how meaningful journalism does not necessarily depend on having the most advanced equipment.

She recalled how the student initially doubted his chances because he did not have a high-end phone, but was reminded by his mentor that winning depended not on the gadget but on the value of the story. The student eventually won in his category.

Crisanto connected the experience to journalists who may have similarly questioned themselves early in their careers, saying that while journalists may take different paths, their responsibility grows as their careers progress.

She also highlighted Globe’s Media Excellence Awards, which have recognized journalism from the Cebu media community.

Beyond connectivity, Crisanto said Globe has been working on digital inclusion, online safety, and digital literacy to help Filipinos participate positively in the digital world.

She cited the company’s Senior Digizen program, recounting the experience of a senior citizen named Gloria who said she had been scammed 10 times.

“Behind every statistic about scams, a real person is trying to keep up with the world that’s changing faster than expected,” Crisanto said.

Through the program, Globe volunteers sit with senior citizens to help them navigate the online world with more confidence. Crisanto also cited the Digital Thumbprint Program, which she said has already helped more than two million students navigate the digital world.

She urged journalists to recognize their role in reaching people who need help navigating technology, as well as young people who need encouragement and inspiration.

“You have the power to teach, reach, inform, and help them through your stories and that is the kind of difference that journalism can make,” Crisanto said.

As AI and other emerging technologies become more deeply embedded in journalism, Crisanto emphasized that while the tools available to journalists will continue to evolve, the value of journalism ultimately rests on the stories journalists choose to tell and the difference those stories can make.