People’s paper
The newspaper of the millennium, the Daily Tribune, was forged in fire amid the social turbulence in 2000 at the height of protests against former President Joseph Estrada. Starting with 16 pages, it immediately assumed the role of providing the public with a clear perspective on the political turn of events mainly through incisive stories and opinion pieces.
Ninez Cacho-Olivares, the founder, had a simple philosophy: for the broadsheet to uphold hard-nosed journalism which was her underlying concept for a publication formed and run by an all-newsman team.
She imbued in her staff the vow that keeping the newspaper running for whatever reason would be its guiding force. The next year, the People Power revolt or what was termed as Edsa 2 which led to Estrada’s ouster happened, and critics of the paper said it wouldn’t last for six months. They did not know the determination of the “iron lady of journalism.” The Daily Tribune has now been in existence for more than 20 years and has found the energy for quick growth from businessman Willie Fernandez whose team infused fresh blood into the organization.
Thus, the celebration this year has for its slogan, “Filipinos together: Zooming through triple 20,” which mirrors the 20 years in the year 2020, as well as the organization’s ever clear 20/20 vision for the future.
As one of the most resilient newspapers in the Philippines today, having gone through the worst in the industry, Daily Tribune has not only managed to survive but is now competing with the biggest in the industry.
Beyond the niche that it targeted -- the habitual newspaper readers which are a fast vanishing tribe – Daily Tribune is for Filipinos of the new generation.
By marrying technological advances, mainly the power of digital and social media that have become the preoccupation of the youth, with the traditional printed news, the Daily Tribune is slowly carving itself as an ideal newspaper for the new age.
Having built a reputation as a hard-hitting political paper which lives up to its motto, “Without fear, without favor,” the Daily Tribune has won a strong following for its daring in its daily stories and commentaries.
The realization for the industry is that for it to survive, adapting to the swift development of technology is a must. It is a philosophy that the Daily Tribune has fully embraced. Even with its limited resources, it is now one of the fastest growing broadsheets -- a product of ingenuity in injecting the endless possibilities provided by the Internet as platform for news and other relevant information.
The Daily Tribune experienced a change in management in 2018 that brought with it a fresh perspective on how to run the publication.
Since its revitalization, the paper combined forces with Concept News Central, a fully digital news outfit, to give birth to TribuneNOW which has a strong online presence and a slew of programs that enhance the Daily Tribune’s goal of providing relevant information during times of uncertainty. The result is a synergistic print and digital force.
Still known as the newspaper of the masses for often reflecting the views of the majority of the nation,
Daily Tribune is now also being greatly noticed as a preferred medium for the broadband era.
Melding technology and hard-nosed journalism has made the Daily Tribune gain with the competition fast.
Among the more notable distinctions it has reaped through the years are the awards Most Innovative Broadsheet for 2018 during the 44th Philippine Business Exposition and the 2017 honor of being named newspaper of the year during the annual Rotary Club of Manila (RCM) journalism awards.
The prestigious RCM plum has been handed out since 1967 to recognize the outstanding contributions of individuals and organizations in print media, television and radio.
The Tribune clinched the award because it was “the eternal thorn on the side of the powers-that-be.” It was cited for “espousing a populist, not popular, stand that makes it a refreshing read.”
The broadsheet is also a signatory to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Global Media Compact.
Legacy has been established as a result of a group of journalists who dared to defy the odds and put up a paper that Filipinos would regard as its source of news imbued with integrity and credibility.