“They must possess language skills, master correct grammar, have the passion, read mountains of literature, and be analytic and nosy. Above all, faith in God” said Fred Lumba, 2015 GMEA Columnist of the Year, on what one should have to succeed in the field of print media.
Lumba, who has a 2-year certificate on Broadcast Journalism at the University of California Los Angeles, started his media career as a radio announcer way back in 1974 and 3 years later, he started writing features for magazines and sports at the same time in Manila. In between the years 1979 to 1985, he was a PBA sportscaster as well. From 1990 to 2006 he wrote a sports column for the Malaya Broadsheet. He then took a leave and resumed writing in 2014 as Mindanao Bulletin columnist when he relocated to General Santos.
Lumba wrote his winning entry at last year’s GMEA entitled “Federalism is good for the country” because he believes that the unitary presidential system is not working for us, to which he added that “our present system is too centralized. The federal system will afford hitherto unknown potential new leaders to surface. People will realize that selling their votes deprive them from electing the real leaders they want. Federalism will give muscle to the long held belief of a government of, for and by the people”.
Launching GMEA, according to Lumba, certainly helps motivate journalists in all fields to chronicle the true and correct state of affairs. “GMEA is succeeding in a slow but gradual positive pace… the winners chosen by the GMEA panel of judges were deserving as they dealt on issues for the social good”, he added.
