Download

Download Full Text (175 KB)

Streaming Media

Performer (Interviewee)

Biena Magbitang

Interviewer

Dr. You Li

Geographic Location

Philippines

Biography

Biena Magbitang is an award-winning journalist from the Philippines. She has extensive experience reporting climate change, energy policies, and foreign relations in Southeast Asia. She currently serves as the Asia Regional Director for Climate Tracker, where she mentors journalists, reports on high-level summits, and moderates roundtable discussions. She has worked for ABS-CBN Corporation as the head of a digital news channel, production unit manager, and producer for over 10 years. During COVID-19, Ms. Magbitang was in charge of News Production, Management, and Strategy at ABS-CBN and produced numerous broadcast specials on the topic as TV News Executive Producer.

Magbitang was the executive producer for a flagship evening newscast at a local broadcasting station during the pandemic in the Philippines. She recalled the early chaos and uncertainties of reporting COVID news and preparing for lockdowns. The station transitioned to COVID-centric coverage, went through revenue loss and layoff, and eventually was shut down by the government. Magbitang reviewed her experience from a journalist and a station manager's perspective, commenting on the differential impact of COVID on her colleagues. Heavy workload, loss of employment, and surviving COVID added multiple layers of stress to her colleagues and worsened their mental health. She advised the future generation of journalists to recognize the role of the press in society and advocate for gender equality and more attention to mental health.

Interview Date

6-7-2023

Subject

Eastern Michigan University Archives, Journalism, women in journalism, COVID-19, pandemic, broadcasting, Philippines, job security, gender equality, mental health, Climate Tracker

Publisher

Eastern Michigan University Archives

Digital Object File Type

mp3

Run Time

1:04:51

Rights

Copyright to the audio resource and its transcript, headshot, and stories is held by the content creator, author, artist, or other entity, and is provided here for educational purposes only. It may not be reproduced or distributed in any other format without written permission of the copyright owner, Eastern Michigan University Archives (lib_archives@emich.edu).

Biena Magbitang, Oral History Interview, 2023

Share

COinS