The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) is an institution in Philippine media. PCIJ writers have written some of the best investigative reports on social issues and governance in the country. Check out these stories: link 1, link 2 and link 3.

PCIJ has also been responsible for the training of scores of journalists, many of them from community publications. As far as I can recall (my memory is failing me) the first training on journalism I attended was done by PCIJ, with Howie Severino as lecturer.

Before starting their blog, PCIJ was largely left out of the day to day coverage of news events. You’d expect PCIJ’s take on a news event weeks after the story breaks and it would come in a multi-page and multi-part article that would thoroughly dissect the issue.

With its blog, however, PCIJ editors and writers have been able to write on breaking stories. I used to visit the PCIJ twice or thrice a week. This week, I visited it daily. The blog is an excellent source for updates, insights and background information on the latest scandal in government: the alleged wire-tapped conversation between President Arroyo and Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano.

You can download MP3 files of the alleged wire-tapped conversation at the PCIJ blog.

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