Conversation with Marga Ortigas
Marga Ortigas is a seasoned journalist, author, and editor whose career has spanned five continents and two of the world’s largest global news networks. With three decades of experience covering war, humanitarian crises, and global affairs, she has built a reputation for compelling storytelling and insightful reporting.
Ortigas began her journalism journey in her native Philippines before joining CNN in London, where she covered European affairs and was on the ground in Iraq from the very onset of the war. In 2006, she returned to Manila as a senior correspondent for Al Jazeera, reporting from the frontlines of armed conflict, climate disasters, and socio-political upheavals across the Asia Pacific. Her extensive coverage of the Muslim rebellion in the southern Philippines earned her recognition from the International Committee of the Red Cross for Humanitarian Reporting.
Beyond journalism, Ortigas is a dedicated writer and editor. A British Council Chevening Scholar, she earned her MA in literature and criticism from the University of Greenwich. She is also the editor of I, Migrant, an online platform that amplifies voices from the diaspora and promotes a shared humanity beyond borders.
Her literary work is as diverse and impactful as her journalism. Her upcoming book, WTF: Woman Turning Fifty, offers dynamic reflections on adulthood, mortality, and the uncharted challenges of middle age. In God’s Ashes, she crafts a gripping tale of loss, betrayal, and redemption set across Southeast Asia’s maritime borders. There Are No Falling Stars in China and Other Life Lessons from a Recovering Journalist is a deeply personal collection of essays reflecting on her experiences covering global crises, offering both humor and insight. Meanwhile, The House on Calle Sombra presents a multigenerational saga of a Filipino-Spanish family navigating identity, history, and legacy in a changing world.
Ortigas' work whether in journalism or literature consistently explores themes of displacement, identity, and resilience. Fluent in three languages, she continues to engage with global narratives, using her voice to connect people across cultures and experiences.
1. You’ve covered conflicts, humanitarian crises, and political upheavals across the world. What’s the most challenging story you’ve ever had to report, and how did it shape you as a journalist?
Marga: Each story actually presents its own challenge and leaves a unique impression, building on and contributing to the way I see the world... and how a person sees the world reciprocally informs their work as a journalist. It's a cycle really. :) But the assignment freshest and still raw in my memory remains the 2003 conflict in Iraq and the country's descent into chaos after the US' "Shock & Awe" campaign toppled Saddam Hussein. Perhaps because it was both the first and the longest such coverage I'd been on. I spent nearly a year in Baghdad covering that conflict. It exposed me not just to the depths of humanity but also its heights. There was such intense camaraderie in the midst of so much fear, pain, and bloodshed. Every day, death was just around the corner. A constant reminder of our fragility as mortals. So, you took the joys where you could. In the period I was there for CNN, I got to work with the best in the business -- CNN's most senior journalists. The network was then at the top of its game, and no one did rolling (breaking news) coverage quite like its reporters. Being with them in Iraq -- then the biggest "story" in the world -- was better than any post graduate degree from the most notable of journalism institutions. An opportunity of a lifetime for which I will forever be grateful. And being around so many people of different backgrounds and cultures in such a singular reality drove home for me the underlying truth that we humans are all the same--co-travellers, perhaps on different vessels, but all on the same sea.
2. Having worked with both CNN and Al Jazeera, two of the largest global news networks, how did their approaches to storytelling and coverage differ, and how did that influence your reporting style?
Marga: Having heard all the horror stories of news editors and head honchos dictating editorial direction to favour corporate or political interests... I can say I was fortunate in that my own work wasn't so directly affected. I only reported what could be corroborated and what I saw to be true. I never went in to sensationalise what was happening or over-dramatise a tragedy. Reality is "dramatic" enough on its own.
If there's one thing I did do on purpose -- it was to try and make sense of what was happening. It was never just a summary of facts and figures. There had to be context and a search for meaning. I was also conscious that the video we captured could say more than my words could, so I made sure the two elements (audio and video) worked together to elevate the storytelling. I guess this is where you could say the literary came into the reportage-- symbolism, poetry, rhythm.
3. As a journalist, you’ve witnessed history unfold in real time. What was a moment when you felt the weight of history most profoundly?
Marga: 9/11. I had been with CNN in London for just over a year when it happened. I was on the late shift that day and was still at home when the first plane struck. I awoke to a call from my father halfway around the world telling me to turn the TV on. I couldn't believe what was happening and went in to work straightaway-- as if being there would be more useful. By the time I got to the bureau, the second plane had struck. I was with my colleagues in the master control room -- which is where all the video comes in from across the globe. The place was usually a hive of activity, but I remember how quiet the room got when the towers began to come down. We were gobsmacked watching the live broadcast from CNN in the States. Even the presenters were speechless. I wasn't physically there (in NYC) -- but I think all of us watching knew at that moment that something had shifted. The whole world knew it. A year later, I found myself in a small German town in the dead of winter as peace talks were held for Afghanistan, which the US had invaded after 9/11. The following year, I was in Baghdad, in one of Saddam's many palaces just on the city's outskirts, known as the site of many evenings of debauchery and murder. I was producing live coverage for CNN as US troops who had taken over the country marked not just the anniversary of 9/11 but their 6th month as an occupying force in Iraq. Another moment of historical importance, but less global in its effect, was the fall of Dilma Roussef in Brazil. I was on assignment there for Al Jazeera as the country was in the throes of its deepest political turmoil as it prepared to host the Olympics... while also battling a health crisis!
4. Given your extensive coverage of the Muslim rebellion in the Philippines, how do you view the role of journalism in shaping narratives about conflict and peace?
Marga: As journalists, we shouldn't fall into the trap of shaping narratives according to "us" and "them". That would mean the storyteller has taken a side. It happens more often than it should really. You will hear reporters say "our soldiers" or "our enemies". That immediately alienates a section of the viewership. That is not your role as the reporter. You are not there to take a side. As much as you bring who you are to every story, you must put your "identity" aside. You are there to witness and to show empathy -- but remember to remain impartial. And the way to do that is to always portray the human face of any conflict. The costs to the civilians who suffer because of decisions made far away in some air-conditioned room by usually angry, greedy men.
5. Your books span genres, from journalism-inspired reflections to fiction. How does your approach to storytelling differ when writing a novel versus reporting the news?
Marga: They don't. :) Not even in terms of the research involved. Even my fictional work has been born from what's real. Isn't that what writers do? Reflect the world around us and try to make sense of it? Whether through news reporting or through fiction.
6. In There Are No Falling Stars in China, you reflect on lessons learned from covering crises around the world. What’s one unexpected lesson that has stuck with you over the years?
Marga: Humanity is composed of survivors. People will be tossed and turned in the turbulent tides of time -- but they will always find a way to survive.
7. God’s Ashes explores themes of displacement and identity. How much of your real-life experiences covering migration and conflict influenced this story?
Marga: I am almost certain I would not have come up with this story at all had I not witnessed what I witnessed as a reporter. Seeing things first hand - being exposed to the underbelly of existence and the margins of society -- it is in the spaces between everything I've seen, read, and heard about, that this story came together.
8. I, Migrant gives voice to diaspora writers. What has curating these stories taught you about the universal human experience?
Marga: This may sound repetitive by now -- but the simple answer is that there is a universality to the human experience. We all love something, we all fear something, we all want something. We all experience loss, grief, and joy. And much of the map of our lives is in response to the lack or abundance of love.
9. Your upcoming book, WTF: Woman Turning Fifty, is described as both deeply personal and humorous. What motivated you to share these reflections, and what do you hope readers take away from it?
Marga: I have absolutely no idea! LOL. I always go by the adage write what you want to read. And every book I have put out there is because I haven't seen any quite like them. With this latest one, it really is just being raw on the page and hoping that maybe if I was looking to say these things -- it might help someone else who is struggling with the same. Many times in the process of WTF, I asked myself why go through with publishing it? Maybe writing it was enough of an exercise, no? I was very worried that when I turned it in to the editor -- she would return it to me basically saying: "WTF is this?" It has come as a great surprise to me that the book has been received as it has by readers who might not even be part of the expected demographic. I like that it has been accepted across generations -- and genders!
10. You’ve had a career that spans continents and industries. If you could give one piece of advice to young journalists and writers today, what would it be?
Marga: Dare. Be curious, be bold, and yes, be cautious and even afraid -- but do it anyway. Take chances with your stories. And a caveat for journalists particularly: you are there to bear witness... to recognise the importance of someone else's experience. To acknowledge their pain and let them know they are seen. That they matter. But you ... are NOT the "story".