DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 04 June) – MindaNews was awarded the 2025 Best News Website for Mindanao by the Philippine Press Institute (PPI) during its 30th Community Press Awards rites on Thursday.
This is the second consecutive win for MindaNews. In June 2025, it won the Best News Website -Mindanao for 2024.
MindaNews editor in chief Bobby Timonera received the award on Thursday at the Hotel Lucky Chinatown in Binondo, Manila, 10 days after the Mindanao-based news organization celebrated its 25th anniversary on May 25.
In its citation, PPI said MindaNews’ website “has a strong focus on local and regional stories.”
“It likewise carries special reports that spotlight stories such as Mindanao’s trafficked minors, including Dinagat’s watersheds and the region’s struggle for climate justice. Minimalist but still integrating key multimedia elements. It is easy to navigate and its intentional white spaces guide audiences from one story to the next minus the visual clutter,” PPI said.
The other finalist for the category was SunStar Davao.
In the citation for 2024, PPI noted that MindaNews “captures Mindanao’s heart and soul” and “carries news that matter and presents them in a manner that gives readers insights to the diverse culture of Mindanaons.”
“The no-frills website design reflects the journalism substance that the media organization practices. Its Fact-Check section is outstanding,” it said.
In April 2024, MindaNews was awarded by the PPI as the Outstanding Community Newspaper-Daily for 2023.
MindaNews joined PPI during the pandemic and attended PPI’s annual meet for the first time in 2024.In May 2024, MindaNews was conferred the first Gen Ong Laurel for Journalism by the Communication Foundation for Asia’s 4th Lagerwey Awards for Communication Excellence, “for demonstrating remarkable excellence in Journalism in 2023.”
In 2015, the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) honored MindaNews with an “Award of Distinction” for its “commitment to accuracy, fairness and relevance that since its founding has helped provide Filipinos the information and analyses they need to understand the particularities of the Mindanao reality which includes but is not limited to issues of war and peace.”
The 1st Blue Knight Awards by students of the Ateneo de Davao University awarded MindaNews as the “Favorite Online News Portal” in 2013.
In 2010, the Ateneo de Zamboanga University conferred on MindaNews the “Ateneo Peace Award” in recognition of its “significant contributions in providing accurate, timely and comprehensive news and information on Mindanao, its people, its culture, and its advocacies in the pursuit of being an alternative medium of media coverage especially in peace and development concerns, thus making a marked difference in Journalism and Public Information in the country.”
The awardees of the 30th Community Press Awards for 2025 are:
For Excellence in Digital Journalism: Palawan News won the Best News Website – Luzon; SunStar Cebu for Best News Website – Visayas; and MindaNews for Best News Website -Mindanao.
For the weekly category, no winner was named for Best in Photojournalism; Baguio Chronicle was awarded Best in Environmental Reporting; Pahayagang Balikas for Best in Business and Economic Reporting; Metro Post for Best Editorial Page; and Mindanao Cross for Best Edited Community Newspaper.
For the daily category, SunStar Cebu won Best in Photojournalism; Panay News for Best in Environmental Reporting; SunStar Davao for Best in Business and Economic Reporting; Daily Guardian for Best Editorial Page; and Panay News for Best Edited Community Newspaper. (MindaNews)
