Nitong Linggo, June 27, 2021, binigyang linaw ng GMA News ang naging dahilan ng reassignment ni Joseph Morong.
Ang unang ispekulasyon ng ilang netizens ay baka raw lilipat na ito ng network.
Ngunit, sa isang vlog na in-upload ni Joseph noong May 6, 2021, nilinaw niyang hindi siya lilipat ng network. Bagkus ay beat o topics na ang sisimulang nitong i-report para sa GMA News.
Aniya, "Unfortunately, that will be the last summary that you’ll get from me because I’ve been transferred. Starting next week, I will not be covering Malacañang anymore."
Ang sapantaha ng netizens, maaring ang naging dahilan ng pagkakalipat ng GMA News kay Joseph sa Malacañang beat ay ang naging fact-checking report nito sa Saksi tungkol sa pagresponde ng gobyerno sa COVID-19 pandemic.
April nang unang umere ang nasabing report na tinanggal din agad sa mga social-media accounts ng GMA News.
Makalipas ang halos dalawang buwan, klinaro ng GMA News na hindi ito ang dahilan ng paglipat kay Joseph sa ibang news beat.
Ayon sa statement ng GMA News: "Joseph Morong's reassignment is not related to a report that aired on Saksi as some have speculated.
"Saksi producers wrote that report and Joseph was just asked to voice it.
"It was removed from our online platforms, consistent with our policy, after we noted deficiencies in the report which did not conform to our standards of fairness and balance.
"Unrelated to this, Joseph was given another assignment, a move which is common in most, if not all, newsrooms where reporters do not stay in one beat their entire careers."
Ayon pa sa statement ng GMA News, patuloy na magsisilbi si Joseph bilang anchor ng daily online newscast na Stand For Truth.
Matapos nito, si Joseph ang isa sa mga naging go-to person ng netizens pagdating sa summary ng mga talumpati ni President Duterte sa tuwing may weekly public address nito na kung tawagin ay Talk to the People.
