[Inside the Newsroom] Journalist of the Year: You see the position, we experience the person

As a reporter for the Gokongwei-owned Manila Times, I started anticipating what she would wear to the newsroom, especially when she had a special meeting or event to attend. She was the most stylish political journalist, my section editor then pointed out to me. It was just a matter of time before our sister publication, a glossy fashion magazine, was to line her up for their series of features on achievers with style. 

Immediately, I conjured up an image of our power-dressing news editor coming to work for her pictorial and interview. Instead, she sat at her desk in a comfortable pink collared shirt and jeans. I was like… why? Why, of all days, did you decide to wear something “simple”? 

Glenda Gloria’s power, however, didn’t need any loudspeaker — in this case, a loud getup — to be proclaimed. (She will cringe at the word “power,” but, whatever, this is my newsletter!) That, I discovered when I became a reporter directly under her in MT and in the investigative magazine Newsbreak, and continue to have a ringside view of now as managing editor of Rappler.

You become a journalist to serve the people. From that Preview feature in the mid-1990s to her recent spotlight as Esquire’s Journalist of the Year 2025, Glenda’s raison d’etre for us in the business of information and communication has not changed. Journalism in conduct, business, and format may be fast evolving, but its core, purpose, and mission remains: to serve the people. 

That’s a big idea, you’d say. It is — and it is what Glenda’s quiet work in various capacities over the years has been clear about. It is the big idea, the noble guide, in how she’s led newsrooms and mentored those under her. 

Those outside our newsroom will think they know her from her “big” title as executive editor of Rappler, the Philippines’ leading digital media company. She sets the vision for Rappler’s three pillars: journalism, community, and technology. She’s the one who makes sure the business side is sustainable. 

We who work closely with her appreciate her — in fact are learning from her — on those aspects of her job. But what has truly taught and shaped us is Glenda’s example and personal touch. 

She’s battle-scarred in the field, so we have no right to question the wisdom of shoe-leather reporting. We cannot sniff at the scoops and investigations she has broken and the books and studies she’s written. We cannot be walking around so pleased with ourselves and our judgment of our work and relevance clouded by the noise and bubbles of the online world. 

She has a keen eye for talents, no matter how raw, and nurtures them. She entrusts you with assignments with a view of how you will grow in them. She corrects you when you take the wrong turns but doesn’t dwell on your mistakes or let those mistakes define you. She dumps books and well-curated articles and podcasts on you. She terrifies you when her big eyes become bigger without her saying a word. Come to think of it, if you don’t flourish as she does that and with the way she does that, then it is already your fault. 

And she writes elegantly. Thoughts are clear, arguments are sharp without screaming, rebuke is stinging without being preachy. So it challenges us to not just come with solid research and groundbreaking findings — we have to tell the story with a voice that is distinctly ours, a voice that says there’s a person who went to these places, spoke to people, pored over these documents, and sifted these pieces of information with service to communities and nation in mind. 

You don’t have to take my word for it — but these testimonies from some of our reporters and managers should put to rest any of your doubts. 

Jodesz Gavilan, Lead Editorial Researcher

Ma’am Glenda has taught us young journalists countless lessons over the years, but the one that has stayed with me the most is her constant reminder to read, to read widely, to read deeply, and to read often. Because strong writing begins with a well-fed mind. I have always loved reading and people sometimes question how I find the time, and their comments make me uneasy, as if they think I am neglecting my work. But then there is Ma’am Glenda, our own boss, encouraging us to read more and reminding us that curiosity and learning are not distractions from the job but essential parts of it.

John Sitchon, Multimedia Reporter

It was September 21, 2023, when Miss Glenda came to visit the Rappler Cebu bureau for a forum led by women journalists. We had dinner, and in our conversation, she would ask these questions about our culture: how a puso (hanging rice) is made, the ingenuity of the piso water and Wi-Fi machine, and the unique struggles of women journalists in Cebu. The way she spoke of these things — she has a way of making you curious about things that have always been there, things that wouldn’t normally attract attention, things that, when unraveled, evoke a sense of pride and joy. I think that’s how every person seeking a career in journalism ought to be. I like to think that’s what most of my peers that are my age aspire to become one day.

Jairo Bolledo, Multimedia Reporter  

Generosity is the greatest thing I learned from Ma’am Glenda. She is generous to budding journos — teaching us practical experiences to navigate the crazy world of journalism. She never fails to guide us on how to work on a specific story, why we need to look beyond what’s being said. She is generous to her sources and to the people who share their stories to her. As a woman of integrity, she protects these stories with compassion. Ma’am Glenda will gain your respect not because she demands it, but because she earned it leading by example as a great journalist.

Paterno Esmaquel II, Multimedia Reporter

Command and control but in a space of youthful freedom. That’s the Glenda Gloria style of newsroom management, which I have grown to love — and hoped to emulate — in my 14 years at Rappler. Like a general, she issues battle plans with military precision. But, like a mother, she trusts her children — the reporters — to find their way and use their own diskarte, even if they make mistakes. From her, I learned to take calculated risks, decide, and own up to my decisions, right or wrong. 

In the Glenda Gloria School of Journalism, the mortal sin is not to make the wrong judgment calls; it is to make no decision at all. Ah, how she fumes at reporters who need to ask editors for handholding from Point A to Z. It’s the way she runs the newsroom and even ends her emails with her favorite salutation: “Courage on.”

Gelo Gonzales, Desk Editor 

There’s a song I listen to, and it describes a girl with a mind like a diamond, who knows what’s best, who’s fast, thorough, sharp as a tack, who’s touring the facility and picking up slack. It has always reminded me of Ms. Glenda. The newsroom has been through stormy times, but her poise in leading us through these always gave me the confidence that we’ll be alright. What I’ve learned is, roll with the punches, stay curious, and do it fast and thorough.

Jee Geronimo, Liveable Cities Desk

In a high-pressure job like journalism, you need a calm soul that steadies the ship. Ms. Glenda has always been that kind of leader — one who sees the forest for the trees, who has the foresight to anticipate things often lost when people are in the thick of things. I’ve worked with her for 14 years now and yet there’s still so much to learn from her. 

Kaye Cabal, Head of Community Growth & Development

I will always treasure Ms. Glenda’s guidance and patience. She was ever so gracious in teaching us young managers the much-needed composure and grace under pressure, and helped me remember the value of looking ahead, pulling up, and seeing things from different perspectives. Over a decade of learning from one of the bravest women I know, I can only aspire to be half the leader she is.

Acor Arceo, Head of News Operations 

It is both an absolute honor and a source of utter comfort to have a mentor like Ms. Glenda — someone who leads with wisdom, clarity, and compassion. She brings out the best in people simply because she leads by example. From ANC to Rappler, I’ve seen how she deftly guides a newsroom, possessing both strategic vision and a mastery of the details.

Let me end with how our senior editor Isagani de Castro Jr. puts it. This is one instance where nothing beats a cliché to sum up the message: 

The best man for the job… is a woman. – Rappler.com