Balwarte at Balita : THE Philippine Daily Inquirer's portrayal of the Marcos Political Family of the Philippines
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Date
2024
Authors
Floricel DC. Serrano
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Abstract
The general question that this study aimed to answer is “how did the Philippine Daily Inquirer portray the Marcos political family of the Philippines?”. It also tried to answer the following questions: 1.) In what sections of Philippine Daily Inquirer do the Marcos stories appear? 2.) How are the Marcoses characterized in Philippine Daily Inquirer news articles? and 3.) What is the nature of representation of the Marcoses in Philippine Daily Inquirer? This study is a content analysis which used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) Statement as guide in analyzing Marcos-related online news articles from different sections of Philippine Daily Inquirer, covering an 18-month timeline from January 2022 to June 2023.
This analysis has found that most Marcos-related news stories from Philippine Daily Inquirer were published in their NewsInfo section, followed by the Opinion, GlobalNation, Business, and Lifestyle sections. Half of the total number of analyzed articles were portrayed positively, while more than a quarter were negative and only a few stories were neutral. Later on, clusters were classified and named as follows: Cluster1– President Bongbong Marcos, Cluster2–Family Controversies, Cluster3–BBM as a Presidential Candidate, Cluster4– Marcos Siblings, Cluster5–Marcos Matriarch, and Cluster6–The Marcoses as a Family. Then, it was described by creating themes for every cluster, which are the following: Cluster1–Privileged view,Cluster2–Abuse of power, Cluster3–Hounded by issues, Cluster4–Political exposure, Cluster5–Effect to Masses, and Cluster6–Family in Politics.
Listed are the following conclusions of this content analysis; 1.) For most analyzed articles, stories about the Marcoses can be seen in the NewsInfo section. 2.) The general characterization of the Marcos political family in the PDI pages are mostly as controversial political figures. 3.) In connection, such stories in PDI pages are mostly on the positive side in portraying the Marcoses. 4.) Many things should be observed in the analysis aside from the tone and use of words as articles are also screened by editors and publishers. 5.) Wide readership of news organizations may also be affected by the often visibility of political figures in media and in the public.
Listed are the following recommendations of this content analysis; 1.) News stories about political leaders should stay in the general news and public affairs so should be treated seriously by the viewers. 2.) Issues surrounding public servants should always be asked and covered by the media. 3.) The consumption of media must be critical as readers know the media are used to influence their preferences and decisions. 4.) News companies must watch how they cover news subjects to evade the propensity of agenda setting. 5.) Researchers must further the studies in media portrayal and the politics of it.