TV Patrol World, 24 Oras election coverage still generally neutral; Teledyaryo continues bias for Teodoro
The CMFR Monitor of Media Coverage of the 2010 Elections
Broadcast Discourse Analysis
(For the period March 29-31 and April 5-9, 2010)
For this period, the broadcast discourse analysis monitoring team of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) analyzed only eight days of news coverage (instead of the usual 10) due to the observance of Holy Thursday (April 1) and Good Friday (April 2) when all three news programs did not air.
The election coverage by TV Patrol World (ABS-CBN 2) and 24 Oras (GMA-7) was generally neutral and in most cases provided background information. But neither can be said of Teledyaryo (NBN-4): most of its reports during the period under review had no background information. And while most of Teledyaryo’s reports were neutral, its stories that were not were positively slanted for presidential candidate Gilbert Teodoro of the ruling administration coalition Lakas-Kampi.
Teodoro was also Teledyaryo’s most covered presidential candidate from March 29 to April 9. In the case of TV Patrol World, it was Manuel Villar (Nacionalista Party); and for 24 Oras, Benigno Aquino III (Liberal Party).
Villar was the most used news source among presidential candidates in both 24 Oras and Teledyaryo. TV Patrol World used Teodoro most as a source of information.
As in the previous CMFR broadcast discourse analysis reports, the presidential election was still the focus of the three news programs, accounting for 65 percent (TV Patrol World), 68 percent (24 Oras) and 42 percent (Teledyaryo) of total election-related reports. On the average, four out of every 10 news reports were about the elections in the three news programs. (See Table 1)
More than half of the election-related reports were aired during the first half of the program. The three news programs made nine election-related reports as lead stories. (See Table 2)
Candidates as news subjects
If the data of the three news programs were combined, the most covered presidential candidates would be Villar, Aquino and Teodoro. Other candidates were far behind as Teledyaryo used the six other presidential candidates either only once or twice during the period in review. Even disqualified presidential candidate Vetellano Acosta (Kilusang Bagong Lipunan) was used as a news subject, albeit only once, on TV Patrol World and 24 Oras during the period under review. (See Table 3)
In the vice-presidential election campaign, Manuel Roxas (LP) was most covered by TV Patrol World. On the other hand, Roxas and Loren Legarda (Nationalist People’s Coalition) were covered most by 24 Oras. In the case of Teledyaryo, its most covered vice-presidential candidate was Eduardo Manzano (Lakas-Kampi). (See Table 4)
Out of 61 senatorial candidates listed by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), only 30 became news subjects, with 11 being used only once or twice during the reviewed eight-day period. (See Table 5) This does not come as a surprise as data from Table 1 show that reports on the senatorial elections accounted for only 19 percent of total election-related reports in the three news programs.
What’s worse is the party-list election campaign coverage: only 17 party-list groups out of a total 187 were used as news subjects by TV Patrol World, with all but one being used only once or twice. In the case of 24 Oras, it covered only two party-list groups, citing them only once or twice. Teledyaryo had three party-list groups which were covered only once. (See Table 6)
The election coverage remained event-oriented as campaign conduct was the recurring theme in the reports of the three news programs. Issues related to the COMELEC like its technical preparations in line with the first automated elections were a distant second. (See Table 7)
There was not much coverage of development and policy issues as the three news programs reported on corruption, governance and other issues only once or twice during the period . (See Table 8 )
Political turncoatism was reported four times by Teledyaryo. Other issues like the media efforts for clean elections and the power situation in Mindanao were reported only once or twice by TV Patrol World, 24 Oras and Teledyaryo. (See Table 9)
Among the nine presidential candidates, Villar, Aquino and Teodoro were the most used news sources. Teledyaryo used only the three of them. Ma. Ana Consuelo Madrigal (Independent) was not used as a source by all three news programs. On the other hand, it was only 24 Oras that used as news sources presidential candidates John Carlos de los Reyes (Ang Kapatiran Party), Richard Gordon (Bagumbayan) and Nicanor Perlas (Independent). (See Table 10)
Meanwhile, Teledyaryo used only vice-presidential candidate Legarda as a news source during the period in review. In the case of TV Patrol World and 24 Oras, they used three out of nine vice-presidential candidates, with Roxas as their most used source of information. (See Table 11)
The three news programs used only 11 out of 61 senatorial candidates as news sources, and nine of them were quoted only once or twice during the period in review. Candidates Raul Lambino (Lakas-Kampi) and Gilbert Remulla (NP) were the most used sources of information. (See Table 12)
As regards the party-list groups, TV Patrol World used seven as news sources while 24 Oras and Teledyaryo used only one. Not surprisingly, these party-list groups were used as sources only 11 times during the period reviewed. (See Table 13)
All the election-related reports of TV Patrol provided background information in a significant departure from its practice in past elections. In the case of 24 Oras, its election-related reports with background information accounted for 80 percent. Only 40 percent of Teledyaryo reports provided background information. (See Table 14)
About 95 percent of the election-related reports of TV Patrol World and 24 Oras were neutral. As regards Teledyaryo, only 68 percent were neutral as a substantial amount of election-related reports were positively slanted. (See Table 15)
Teledyaryo gave the most positive slant to Teodoro and Villar, as well as their respective running mates Manzano and Legarda. TV Patrol World and 24 Oras gave only a handful of positively slanted reports to candidates Villar, Aquino and Legarda. (See Table 16)
TV Patrol World and Teledyaryo both gave only one negatively slanted report each against Villar and Aquino, respectively. 24 Oras did not have any negatively slanted report against any particular candidate during the period reviewed. (See Table 17)
Download the report here (in Word or PDF).
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