Our compact, our promise

In many ways, the paper you now hold has changed. But on certain fundamental points, it remains the same.

In an industry at once disrupted and empowered by technological and social change, this is the mindset we need. A willingness to see and do things differently--to rethink the way we plan for, pursue and present stories--must be anchored on the values that have sustained SunStar for more than three decades. What changed? For one, we’ve chosen a compact format that compels a more mindful selection of stories and tighter writing. It’s easy to say that stories should only be as long as they need to be. Newsroom veterans will tell you that doesn’t always happen, because most print journalists will fight for every column inch they can leave their mark on (and then some).

There is a good business case for converting to a compact paper, as some media organizations in Europe and the United States have found.

But more than that, we wanted to present our journalism in a fresher, more compelling way. We knew it wouldn’t be enough to simply tweak the way the paper looked.

One of SunStar Cebu’s promises as we transform to a compact is to deliver more content than before: shorter news, feature and opinion pieces, presented in a way that enriches your reading experience.

All the stories you need to know, chosen with Cebu’s best interest in mind. As a community paper, this has always been our priority. It will inform our every decision about what to change and how, as SunStar continues to grow beyond being a community paper, to the leading source of information about Philippine communities, wherever they may be in the world and whichever platform they choose to meet us.

While we prepare to celebrate our 35th year, we are taking every opportunity to reflect not only on our processes, but also on our purpose. In these days of fake news and “post-truth” politics, that purpose has to be affirmed. We will continue to listen. We will continue to learn.

The community whose support we depend on deserves sincere journalism, and that will stay at the core of SunStar Cebu.