At a time when the media industry is being reshaped almost faster than it can document itself, —from digital transformation to the arrival of yet another fundamental shift—Manila’s hosting of Digital Media Asia (DMA) 2026 is even more important. What is this shift? We are in the midst of the AI transformation.

Held at the historic The Manila Hotel, last April 28 to 29, the summit gathered the region’s top editors, publishers, executives, and strategists not just to discuss the future but to confront head on how unevenly distributed that future still is across newsrooms.

One of the most compelling topics running through the two-day conversations was a question that would seem improbable a decade ago: Can journalists—particularly those trained in a traditional print environment—become effective and respected video creators, even “stars,” in their own right?

The question is not theoretical. Audience behavior has already moved. A Reuters study from 2020 showed that 55 percent of Filipinos prefer watching the news, compared to 31 percent to reading and 14 percent to listening. In a social media-first country like the Philippines, that preference has only deepened. News is no longer consumed in quiet, linear formats but it is scrolled, swiped, and increasingly watched in fragments.

This shift forces a rethinking of what it means to be a journalist. The traditional hierarchy where reporting and writing sitting at the top and presentation as secondary no longer holds as it once did. At DMA, one idea stood out with clarity: The messenger is now as important as the message.

This is where the notion of transforming writers into video creators becomes both promising and problematic. Yes, it can be done. But not without intention, and certainly not overnight.

The assumption that good writers will naturally translate into compelling on-screen personalities tends to be a flawed one. Video demands a different literacy, one that blends clarity of thought delivered with immediacy, tone, and presence. It requires comfort with informality without sacrificing credibility. More importantly, it requires the ability to connect, not just inform.

And connection, as many speakers during DMA pointed out, is a skill that must be developed, not imposed.

Some of the most successful examples cited during the summit came not from legacy newsrooms, but from digita-native creators who understand instinctively how to speak to audiences in the spaces they inhabit. Their production is often menial—sometimes just a phone, a street corner, and a set of notes—but their delivery is direct, human, and effective.

One can also scroll the social feeds of global organizations like BBC or CBB, and the shift is evident. The polish of traditional broadcast has given way, at least in part, to a more immediate, almost conversational form of reporting. And these are only available on social feeds, purely crafted to cater to the platform’s audience. It is less about perfection and more about presence.

For traditional media, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity.

The strength of legacy media has always been the rigor of journalism. But as several speakers acknowledged, strong content alone is no longer sufficient if it fails to reach audiences where they are. In this sense, the industry’s blind spot is not credibility, but delivery.

Collaboration may offer a way forward. Rather than forcing journalists into unfamiliar molds, newsrooms can look to partnerships with existing creators who already understand platform dynamics. Of course, these creators must also align with the newsroom’s standards and branding. At the same time, newsrooms can invest in training programs that equip their own reports with the tools (and confidence) to experiment with new formats.

The closing message from one of the summit’s speakers stuck with me: Journalists must learn to be “free of limits.” Storytelling is still a cornerstone of journalism, but be free to tell your stories in different ways, formats, and platforms.

(Rey Robes Ilagan is the editor of Manila Bulletin’s Lifestyle section.)