Inside the Manila Bulletin

Taking eager, tentative steps into one of the country’s biggest broadsheets, was like stepping off a cliff and landing on a soft, queen-size bed surrounded with a myriad of treasures and wonders.

The compulsion to run around amok was fierce, to satisfy the curious ever-needing-to-know eyes in what was inside Manila Bulletin and what makes it tick. I will spare the details of what’s inside, and simply say that each floor is a hidden Atlantis, where the weird and the outright awesome are found, along with profound and arcane technologies that would leave you in bright awe.

I have to admit, how the system works is somewhat confusing at first. Nevertheless, it is a system that works efficiently, given that no clot blocks the bypass of networks that makes Manila Bulletin possible.

It starts with the news reporters scouting for stories in their specific beats and assignments. Most of the time they will send their stories through the Internet for the editors to assess in time. Reporters, who haven’t reported back about the status of their stories, are taken care of by the Managing Editor. And truth be told, it seem like a pleasant experience.

Dummies are printed out and delivered by a copyboy to the layout artists, where they would design what the paper would look like. Banner photos are discussed in groups, and they take every absolute measure not to make a mistake. As far as I know, whatever people read in the newspaper is the general acceptance in how to spell things, and that can be extremely crucial. If there is a problem within the article, the copyboy is sent back to the editor to make the necessary fixes. This process can take as long as five minutes to a few hours depending on how fast people work.

Files saved in the computer network are called slugs. These slugs are accessible in every computer in every section throughout the Bulletin, granting efficient transfer of files. At times if the problem is minor, the layout artist will find effective means to fix it himself. If not, then it goes back to the editor.

I can imagine how everything worked ten-twenty years ago, people running around, shouting, smoking, hard pressed on deadlines and typewriters going chik-chik-chak-chik-chik-chik-chak-chichak-chik-chik-chat—PING! The finest music in the newsroom, indeed, I regret not being to experience it, but knowing that it had come to past, is just exhilarating, mind-crushing thought.

There is a gym, a basketball court, and a game room – Playstation 3, Xbox360, and all that. I surmise these gadgets and tools are here to for the completely stressed that need to unwind.

By the end of the tour and education in how things work around here, I came home thinking if Manila Bulletin is a nice place to work. They say journalism has no profitable financial career, and I believe that, perhaps journalists are indeed underpaid. Yet, from the amount of contacts you collect, the experiences of being out in the field, and the gaining a few dozen skills along the way. I suppose so that this place is a great place to work and start off a good healthy career sometime in the future.