PAGBABAGO
Dr. Florangel Rosario Braid
Previous studies had shown that during times of crisis and because of uncertainty, people turn to the news media to help them better understand their present environment.
This is reinforced in the findings of 10th edition of Digital News Report (DNR 2021) by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism which showed in this global analysis of news consumption trends that the pandemic had increased trust in news among Filipinos. This year’s report is based on an online poll of 92,000 people in 46 media markets representing the views of more than half the world’s population. Yvonne T. Chua, associate professor of journalism at the University of the Philippines wrote the Philippine profile for Digital News Report 2021.
A total of 2,209 Filipino internet users ages 18 and above participated in the survey which also showed that the pandemic has hiked concern over online misinformation especially from government and politicians.
DNR 2021 shows the proportion of Filipinos who say “they trust news most of the time” rising to 32 percent from 27 percent a year ago. In contrast, trust in news from social media has fallen from 22 percent to 20 percent
Trust in media brands, let by GMA News (74 percent) remained generally stable except for ABS-CBN (57 percent) which was threatened repeatedly with closure, and Rappler which was battling lawsuits from tax evasion and cyber libel, (each shedding four points in their trust scores) and tabloids, Abante and Bulgar (each losing three points). Manila Bulletin at 69 percent ranks second in trust followed by TV5 and Philippine Star at 68 percent and Philippine Daily Inquirer at 66 percent.
Overall trust in the news still remains below this year’s global average of 44 percent.
The share of Filipinos “very” and “extremely” interested in news has declined from 69 percent to 65 percent.
Print consumption, severely battered by mobility restrictions and revenue losses, has shrunk from 27 percent to 16 percent.
Television usage has slipped five points to 61 percent. GMA has widened its reach by six points to 59 percent, following shutdown of ABS-CBN.
Online news consumption continues to expand, growing from 85 percent last year to 87 percent this year. Social media as a source of news have gone up four points to 72 percent with Facebook at 73 percent, YouTube (53 percent), FB Messenger (36 percent), and Twitter (19 percent).
Concern over misinformation remains high at 59 percent from 57 percent the previous year, which is slightly higher over the global figure which is 58 percent. Facebook is the principal platform identified for online misinformation.
This global report reinforces earlier findings about media and its role in society – that it is the lens by which we view our community and the world.
The level of trust in the media increases as people begin to depend on it for information they need especially during crisis times. With the coming of social media with their trolls and fake news, the credibility of the latter had dropped even if they still continue to attract larger audiences. Traditional media (print, TV, radio) still maintain a higher level of trust than thesocial media, a finding reinforced in this global study. Previous studies have also identified government and politicians as one of the primary sources of misinformation.
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