CMFR Monitor of Media Coverage of the 2010 National and Local Elections (Feb 9-27, 2010):The Most Moneyed Candidates Were Also the Most Covered by Television News

This year as in past elections, the candidates with the most resources were getting the most exposure via political ads. But they were also the most covered in the regular news programs.

Former President Joseph Estrada and Sen. Manuel “Manny” Villar Jr., already among the most covered presidential candidates in this year’s elections, still spent huge amounts for political advertisements in block time programs, where a 30-second commercial can cost as much as P200,000. Such a trend—that of candidates spending lavishly for political advertising even if they are already well-known and heavily reported on by the press—is also true of candidates for other posts.

The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) monitored the airtime the major news programs devoted to the candidates as well as the political advertisements in ratings-rich block time programming since the official campaign started last Feb. 9. The study showed that candidates who have the means to advertise over television were also the most covered subjects in TV news reports, often at the disadvantage of lesser-known and/or poorly-funded candidates.

For more information about this report and CMFR’s Monitor of the News Media Coverage of the 2010 Elections, please visit CMFR’s Media and Elections microsite (www.cmfr-phil.org/mediaandelections/).

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