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Marianas Press, or MP, was established in November 2024, born out of the dream of its founder, Thomas Mangloña II, to form a truly independent multimedia news outlet in his home islands. MP aims to deliver timely digital news about the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), the Pacific, and beyond.
MP strives to inform the public with deeply reported multimedia content focused on the issues that matter. In a world of fake news, misinformation, and disinformation, MP hopes to quiet the noise surrounding current events to deliver the truth and hold those in power accountable.
Local news matters and MP hopes to help every voice find its story.
Mission
Mission
The mission of Marianas Press is to provide useful multimedia news reports for the community. We aim to build a stronger sense of community by reaching diverse audiences and provide in-depth and original multimedia reporting for underrepresented communities and issues. By approaching stories holistically, we work towards pushing the boundaries of traditional media.
Values
Values
Marianas Press values its independence and is committed to transparency, accountability, and integrity. Transparency allows the community to witness firsthand how its government and institutions make decisions that impact their daily lives. Accountability ensures that when there is wrongdoing, it is brought to light and corrected. Integrity is the foundation of our reporting in pursuit of the truth. A robust and independent press is critical to a thriving democracy.
About the Founder
About the Founder
Thomas Mangloña II is a journalist from the island of Rota in the CNMI, with experience in local, regional, and national newsrooms. He is a multi-media journalist who produces, shoots, and edits daily content. His journalism career started in middle school after he noticed his home island was severely underrepresented in the news. He wanted to change that and started his own blog to tell his community's stories. Thomas hasn't stopped writing since then.
After three decades since it shuttered, Thomas revived the CNMI Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and currently serves as its president. He is also an active member of the Indigenous Journalists Association (IJA) and Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA). At AAJA, he founded the Pacific Islander Journalism Task Force to advocate for journalists and coverage across Oceania. He previously worked as the Chief Regional Correspondent for KUAM News and was based on Saipan where he covered the Northern Mariana Islands and the Pacific.
Thomas received an M.A. in Journalism at Stanford University as a Harry S. Truman Scholar. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate from the University of California at Berkeley where he earned his B.A. in Media Studies with High Distinction in 2020 as a 2016 Gates Millennium Scholar. At UC Berkeley, he served as executive director of its television news station, CalTV, and supervised over 100 members.
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