BLINDFOLDS ON DEMOCRACY: A CASE STUDY ON MEDIA REPRESSION DURING ARROYO AND AQUINO ADMINISTRATION

ABANES, Mariel Anne AVELLANOSA, Alyssa Jane MENDOZA, Merrowen M. OFIANGA, Shaira May D. OTARES, Ma. Dana O.

CHAPTER 1: THE PHENOMENON

The BACKGROUND

Press freedom was a huge problem faced by media practitioners

Since 2003, Philippines has been dubbed as 2nd most dangerous workplace for journalists

Types of Repression

Violent - violates personal integrity

Non-violent - violates civil liberty or suppression with regards to the law

To balance the scope of the study since Aquinos administration is current Since this study includes the online platform as one medium, the first three years of Arroyo opened for the emergence of the internet craze in the country while Aquinos time instigated the popularity of social media

It is during both administrations first half terms that the country has been labeled as the second and third most dangerous place for journalists around the world Both regimes still have not passed a law regarding repression on media, considering that the "frightful and ugly" trend should be curbed by the government, according Afima President Benny Antiporda;

THE PROBLEM

How broadcast, print and online media repressions are compared, with its varying forms, from the first three years of administration of Arroyo and Aquino?

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Specifically, the objectives of the researchers will be to:

1. Define media repression based on the perspective of selected journalists. 2. Depict variations of media repression during the administration under study. 3. Compare cases of media repression among print, broadcast and online 4. Narrate how media repression affects journalists in practicing their profession. 5. Seek recommendations from media practitioners on how to handle cases of repression.

SIGNIFICANCE of the STUDY

The study will show the extent in which media repression affect news dissemination through narrative experiences of journalists practicing from Arroyo to Aquinos regime.

The future media practitioners could possibly provide the tools on how to prevent or handle media repression.

Readers may find the results beneficial in knowing the role of media in the society and being aware of why the press should not be repressed.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Theoretical Framework

Social Responsibility Theory Authoritarian Theory State Repression Model

Social Responsibility Theory

Media is privately-owned and the government
has no direct control over them.

Medias obligation is to deliver fairness in media

reportage.

A journalist is accountable to the audience as well

as the government.

Authoritarian Theory
Media is placed under direct control of the
governing elites or authorities.

Medias obligation is to be subordinate only to the

interest of the authority.

A journalist is allowed limited freedom.

State Repression Model

State Repression Model

Conceptual Framework

Media Repression Model

Media Repression Model

CHAPTER 2: SYNTHESIS OF RELEVANT LITERATURE

SYNTHESIS

Media have different forms: print, broadcast (TV and radio) and online. These platforms are the channels in which information is disseminated to the public.
Press freedom may appear to be straight forward concept but it defies easy definition, even within the liberal democracies that proclaim its enjoyment. Seen from a global perspective press freedom is a relative term, differing in degree from country to country.

In those countries where it exists by virtue of a written constitution or a bill of rights, or by parliamentary custom or legal precedent, its boundaries are continually being tested, sometimes by debate, sometimes through the law. In countries where there is no political freedom, in totalitarian states for example, press freedom remains an ambition yet to be realized that leads people to the loss of their liberty and increasingly to their deaths.

The Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo regime tolled a high rate on the repression of media. This raked the Philippines to the second place as the most dangerous workplace for journalists. The reported cases of advertisement boycotts, libel and killings were all government-related. It is when journalists oppose people in office that their jobs and lives are put into risk. The cases mentioned proved that media repression in the Philippines is undeniably and noticeably skyscraping.

Media repression during the Noynoy Aquino administration, on the other hand, has likewise skyrocketed with just a few years reign. Ranked third most dangerous workplace for journalists next to Iraq and Syria, media repression is prevalent and though the level dropped one place, reported cases of repression among media were proved higher than the past regimes first half term. With the continuous decadence of the Philippine in the Worlds Press Freedom index, Philippines Press freedom remains questionable. Media cannot report facts freely completely because it is camouflaged by traditional evils.

CHAPTER 3: DESIGN and PROCEDURE

RESEARCH DESIGN
The study utilized the QUALITATIVE APPROACH, which is a form of social inquiry that focuses on the way people interpret and make sense of their experiences and the world in which they live. Under this approach, the researchers employed DESCRIPTIVE METHOD ACCORDING TO PURPOSE. Descriptive studies are of great value in providing facts in which professional judgment may be based. It is concerned with and designed only to describe the existing distribution of variables, without regard to causal or other hypotheses. The study is limited only to media repression under only the first three years administration of both Arroyo (2001-2004) and Aquino (20102013).

TRADITION of INQUIRY
CASE STUDY (OR CASE REPORT) is a descriptive, exploratory or explanatory analysis of a person, group or event. An explanatory case study is used to explore causation in order to find underlying principles. The researchers have chosen this tradition of inquiry since it is the most suitable method which provides an indepth analysis of a phenomenon. A case study would be most effective when comparing the process of selecting news done by the respondents, with that it also uses other paraphernalia specifically related literatures and studies, documents such as news articles, researches for its data gathering.

DATA GENERATION METHOD

The researchers conducted IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS to come up with a qualitative data in the study.

In-depth interview is one of the most common qualitative methods.

The strength of in-depth interviews is manifested in the participants freedom to give back in their own words. Additionally, the interactive structure allows interviewers to probe and learn more about relevant thoughts or observations made by participants. To let the researchers and the interviewees to focus on the topic at hand, the researchers formulated an interview guide.

The Participants and the Selection Technique

Participants were those individuals who took part in answering the researchers questions. They were obtained through specific criteria, such as the following: 1. Has been a journalist since 2001 to present 2. Has experienced any form of media repression while practicing his profession in field.

The researchers will interview three (3) print, three (3) online, three (3) TV and three (3) radio broadcast journalists for this study. These journalists possess the criteria needed to supplement necessary information in the formulation of this research. The journalists are:

CES DRILON (ABS-CBN) ARLYN DELA CRUZ (Net 25) CARLO LORENZO (GMA 7) MIA GONZALES (Business Mirror) NINEZ CACHO-OLIVARES (The Daily Tribune) MARITES VITUG (Newsbreak Magazine and Rappler) ROBERTO ALBA AND FRED TICONG (DYRD AM 1161) ALBERT LOYOLA (dxRJ 1476) NATASHYA GUTIERREZ(Rappler) WILLIAM ESPEJO

The researchers used PURPOSIVE SAMPLING TECHNIQUE, a non-probability sampling technique that is most effective when one needs to study a certain cultural domain with knowledgeable experts within. The target key informants of the researchers were those who were currently employed in media companies. Informants of this study were the media practitioners who experienced repression in their profession. To record the important details that the informants provided the researchers, voice recorders, video cameras, pens and papers were used for documentation purposes.

INSTRUMENT
The researchers will employ the interview guide.

The first part of the instrument focused entirely on knowing the definition of media repression. This intends to gain information on what types of repression can be considered related to media.

The second part concentrated mainly on questions that will depict cases or their personal experiences of being repressed as media people.

The third part consists of questions that can distinguish in which among the media is less or more repressed (online, print, broadcast)during the two administrations.

The fourth part focused on the perceived changes or effects of these media repression in the practice of their profession. The last part is for their recommendations to lessen or solve this issue.

The interview will not be limited and solely dependent on the interview guide as its course is intertwined with the answers of the participants.

For the interview, the researchers will use notepads, pens and voice recorders for jotting down significant points of the interview and transcription of their responses. The interview will be conducted in person or through phone (for interviewees from outside Metro Manila).