An Evaluative Study on the News-Gathering Techniques of Local

Journalists from 1990s

(2nd draft)

Balansag, Kirsty LouiseHontucan, Royanni Miel

Inggo, Milcah Soriano, Lorie

Communication Research, Silliman UniversityFirst Semester, 2015

A Research

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements forCommunication Research (Com 83) for the degree of

Bachelor of Mass Communicationat the Silliman University College of Mass Communication

October 2015Dumaguete City

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction

Background of the Study

This study is an evaluation on the news-gathering techniques of local journalists from

1990s. It seeks to determine and assess the different techniques used by these journalists in

obtaining information and would discuss about the challenges, threats and resolutions from

news-gathering. This study shall analyse if these news-gathering techniques are ethical, accurate

and efficient despite the innovations of technology and other intervening factors.

According to Palmer (1998), news gathering, processing, and distribution, are things that

are treated as both profession and an industry. There is a fine line with adhering to the principles

of public service and personal interest while providing relevant and interesting news. 1

Before the stories are printed or broadcasted, the reporter went through procedures that

begin with formulating news leads until conducting interviews. It premieres through gathering

of data from reliable sources and practicing the method of objectivity in researching,

interviewing and then writing or broadcasting the news-story for the public to consume.

According to Kovach and Rosenstiel (1997), the question people should ask is not

whether someone is called a journalist but the question should be: ‘is this person doing

journalism or not?’ Kovach and Rosenstiel stated that journalists should adhere to the principles

of truthfulness, an allegiance to the citizens and informing rather than manipulating.2

This study would generate awareness and provide data to the publishers of print media

and broadcasting media station managers about the inaccuracy and threats of news-gathering

techniques could provide assistance and guidelines to improve the news-gathering techniques of 1Boyd-Barret O, and Terhi Rantanen, Terhi. Eds. The Globalization of News. London: SAGE Publications, 1998

2 Kovach, Bill, and Rosenstiel, Tom. The Elements of Journalism. USA: Three Rivers Press, 1993.

Page 1 of 42

their mass media practitioners. With the improvement of these news-gathering techniques, local

journalists would be more efficient, more accurate and more ethical in their practice especially in

these technology-driven times.

Statement of the Problem

This study on the evaluation of the news-gathering techniques of local journalists from

1990s aims to answer the following questions:

1.) How efficient and accurate do local journalists gather information for their

news stories?

2.) How ethical do local journalists conduct interviews?

3.) What are the difficulties of news-gathering experienced by the local

journalists and how were they able to resolve these difficulties?

Objectives

This evaluative study on the news-gathering techniques of local journalists from 1990s

aims to:

To interpret and analyze the varied techniques used in news-gathering of

local journalists from the formulation of news leads, gathering information about sources,

setting appointments and conducting interviews.

To assess if the news-gathering techniques being used by these local

journalists are effective, accurate and ethical.

To be educated and to determine about the challenges, considerations and

resolutions of news-gathering techniques.

Significance of the Study

This Evaluative Study on the News-Gathering Techniques of Local Journalists from

1990s is significant for analyzing the practice of the profession today. News-gathering

techniques may vary from one journalist to the other according to their needs when they are

assigned at their field works and depending on their approach to the issue. This study would

Page 2 of 42

determine the challenges of news-gathering and the resolutions of local journalists from the print,

broadcast and online media platforms.

Publishers of local print and broadcast media station managers

Local publishers of print and broadcast station managers will be able to determine the

needs of their journalists in their company. This study would provide data in order to direct the

publishers on assessing to what areas of the news-gathering duties of their journalists they may

able to provide assistance and protection.

Editors of print media and broadcast media station managers in Dumaguete

Editors of print media and broadcast station managers would be able to determine the

procedures of their news reporters. This study would provide editors and managers with data for

their analysis and evaluation regarding the efficiency and accuracy of the means of gathering

information by their journalists. The data gathered and presented to the editors and managers

would assist them in determining if their journalists are following The Philippine Press

Institute’s Philippine Journalist’s Code of Ethics and The Broadcast Code of the Philippines of

2007.

Journalism professors in Dumaguete

Journalism professors in Dumaguete would be presented data of the interview protocols

of local journalists, challenges, threats and resolutions of news-gathering. This study is

significant since they will be able to integrate concepts about news-gathering techniques at their

teaching methodologies in training students enrolled in journalism and mass communication-

related courses in the local setting. This is to prepare the students in embarking their

communication careers upon finishing their studies since some of the students would start

practicing their profession in Dumaguete. Journalism professors and instructors would be able to

educate their students on the techniques used of local journalists in news-gathering and these

Page 3 of 42

professors would be able to assess and analyse these techniques as ethical, accruate and effective

at the same time.

Recent graduates of journalism that are pursuing their careers in Dumaguete

The recent graduates of journalism, mass communication related courses, and journalists

who are still new in practice would be educated with the concepts discussed in this study in order

for them to assess and replicate the ethical and effective news-gathering techniques of veteran

journalists. These graduates and starting mass media practitioners would also be educated with

the challenges and resolutions of news-gathering techniques in Dumaguete.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

This study is to evaluate the news-gathering techniques of journalists in Dumaguete as

efficient, accurate and ethical. The study would gather information from all the certified

journalists in Dumaguete that are currently employed at different media stations in print,

broadcast and online media platforms.

Page 4 of 42

CHAPTER TWO

Conceptual/Theoretical Framework

Review of Related Literature

Presented are the related legal basis and related literature relating to this study, an

Evaluative Study on the News-Gathering Techniques of Local Journalists in Dumaguete from

1990s.

Related Legal Basis

There are laws protecting the rights and freedom of expression of journalists in the

Philippines as Section One of Article II at the Philippine Constitution states at the “Declaration

of Principles and State Policies”, which provides: “The Philippines is a democratic and

republican state.”3

With this democracy in the Philippines, this paves way to the direct communication

between the government and the people, which the representatives of the people shall exercise

this right. These representatives of the people are the media practitioners because they are the

ones bridging the communication gap between the people and the government through providing

news and information from the government and expressing the concerns of the people.

The constitution states that communication between the government and the people is

significant by the fact that the Section 24 of Article II of the “Declaration of Principles and State

Policies” provides: “the state recognizes the vital role of communication in nation-building.”4

According to Article III, Section 4 of the “Bill of Rights” from the 1987 Philippine

Constitution, there should be no law abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the

press, or of the right of the people. Due to the Section 4 of the “Bill of Rights”, the state

recognizes the vital role of communication, which enabled mass media practitioners to provide

3 Teodoro, Luis, and Kabatay, Rosalinda. “A Quick Guide to the Laws on the Philippine Communication Media.” In Mass Media

Laws and Regulations in the Philippines. Pages 7-12. Philippines: Asian Media Information and Communication Center, 1998.

4 Excerpts from the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines

Page 5 of 42

information concerning the public. The Section 4 of the “Bill of Rights” is noted to be then the

“fountainhead of all laws affecting the Philippine mass media.”

The right of the people to information concerning the public is recognized with Section 7

of Article III of the “Bill of Rights.” Section 7 states that the people is given the right to access

official records, documents and papers from government officials and transactions, subject to

limitation provided by law. Section 7 enabled mass media practitioners to gather data pertaining

on public interest that they need in their news-gathering techniques that may constitutes research

and verification.

Mass media practitioners, however, are not exempted from following certain laws that

protect the privacy of the Filipino citizens. The “Bill of Rights” provides two sections that mass

media practitioners should abide during their news-gathering. The Section 2 of the Bill of Rights

states that the people have the right to be “secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects

against reasonable searches without search warrant.” This provides certain limitations to mass

media practitioners in different specific situations in their news-gathering techniques such as

securing for an interview appointment. Section 2 requires mass media practitioners to respect all

citizens.

Another section of the Bill of Rights is the Section 3 which states that “the privacy of

communication and correspondences shall never to be infringed, deciphered and dishonoured.”

This provides a ground for mass media practitioners to process requests from citizens legally and

ethically without violating the law.5

Review of Related Literature and Related Studies

According to Kovach and Rosenstiel from The Elements of Journalism (1997), the

journalists’ method of news-gathering is objective. They state that “journalistic truth” is more

than just accuracy and it is sorting-out process that develops between the initial story and the

interaction among the public. Kovach and Rosenstiel wrote that the way journalists design their

work to engage the public must not only provide the needed content but an understanding of the

principle by which their work is done. These statements from Kovach and Rosenstiel are applied

5 Teodoro, Luis, and Kabatay, Rosalinda. “A Quick Guide to the Laws On The Philippine Communication Media.” In Mass

Media Laws and Regulations in the Philippines. Pages 7-12. Philippines: Asian Media Information and Communication Center,

1998.

Page 6 of 42

in the actual news-gathering techniques of journalists, which provide assessment for ethics,

accuracy and efficiency in their techniques. 6

In the book Printing for the Print Media, Fedler (1993) states that reporters should take

control of the interview and then remain in control. He stated that the reporters should decide

which matters are most important and encourage sources to discuss matters. Fedler states that

objectivity lies within the reporter’s style in all the news-gathering techniques one would use.

Although, Kovach and Rosenstiel state that reporters must engage the public in their work,

Fedler stated that some sources of information are hostile to the mass media practitioners. This

hostility depletes the objectivity in the practice of mass communication. Fedler stated that the

reasons are the distrust of the source to the media, fear that the topic is too complicated, the story

might be inaccurate and might be sensationalized. These are some of the challenges encountered

by journalists in gathering information.7

Cadagay enumerated more challenges at the book, Labor and Mass Media in the

Philippines(1988), faced by journalists in local settings such as low service payment prescribed

by law, media repression, pressure and harassments manifested by political turmoil in the present

political system of the Philippines. Cadagay wrote that some journalists resulted to risking their

own lives in accomplishing their news-gathering and despite the laws presented at the related

legal basis, journalists do not receive adequate protection from the government.8

Manifesting ethics in news-gathering is also another challenge. According to a study

about the controversial techniques used in news-gathering among journalists in Hong Kong

entitled “News gathering practices: Hong Kong journalists' views and use of controversial

techniques”, journalists have long been under scrutiny for their news gathering techniques. The

study examines the views and actual use of controversial newsroom practices, the frequency of

their use, and the stories to which they use it. The controversial practices mentioned in this study

6 Kovach, Bill, and Rosenstiel, Tom. The Elements of Journalism. USA: Three Rivers Press, 1993.

7 Fedler, Fred. “Conducting an Interview.” In Reporting for the Print Media.5th Ed. Pages 309-313. USA: Harcourt Brace

Jovanovich, Inc., 1993.

8 Bandayrel, P.B. Jr., Paredes, J.C.& Teodosio V.A, eds. Labor and Mass Media in the Philippines. Manila, Philippines: Rush

Printing Services, 1998.

Page 7 of 42

include: use of confidential information, deception in obtaining stories, badgering sources, and

usage of hidden cameras and microphones. Other practices considered by Hong Kong journalists

when it involves "public interest" are paying informants or receiving payment from sources.9

Localizing the issue of controversial gathering techniques, the Philippine Press Institute

(PPI) provides The Philippine Journalist’s Code of Ethics and there is also the 2007 Code of

Broadcast in the Philippines presented by The Kapisanan ng mga BroadKaster ng Pilipinas

(KBP). These codes of ethics become the principles of a journalist in the Philippines but the

manifestations of ethics solely rely on the journalist in varying situations. According to Ables

from the book Mass Communication and Philippine Society, journalists should exercise the

power of responsibility due to their incidental power in shaping public opinion. Ables stated that

despite the declaration of codes of ethics, there are media practitioners who succumbed to

corruption and unethical conduct involving sensationalizing news stories for economic gain.10

There are procedures of news-gathering stated by Fedler and Coronel, former director of

the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism in Manila. Mass media practitioners use phone

call to set appointment, conduct the interview and verify information. According to Fedler,

telephone calls save enormous amounts of time, since reporters do not have to leave their

newsrooms to drive to a source’s office and wait until the source is free. However, Fedler stated

that phone calls rarely could obtain in-depth interviews about complicated issues and

personalities.

Due to the advancement of technology today, there are also varied means on how the

media practitioners gather information by the use of the internet. Coronel stated that Asian

journalists today make use of the World Wide Web or the Internet for data analysis, social media

and other collaborative tools in news-gathering. The internet makes news-gathering time-saving,

convenient, and varied but it doesn’t assure verification and accuracy.11

9 Coronel, Sheila. “Speaking truth to power is an Asian Value”. Watchdog Watcher. Last modified November 27, 2014. Accessed

July 29, 2015. http://watchdog-watcher.com/2014/11/27/speaking-truth-to-power-is-an-asian-value/#more-1823

10 Ables, Higino. “Ethical Dilemmas: Guidelines and Cases.” Mass Communication and Philippine Society. Pages 106-115.

Philippines: University of the Philippines Press, 2003.

11 “Speaking truth to power is an Asian Value” by Sheila Coronel

Page 8 of 42

Coronel stated that the advancement of technology gives privilege to media practitioners

today since news-gathering, writing and broadcasting are easier. Pavlik wrote at Media in

Digital Age(2008), that there is an improvement of news gathering technique through the use of

the internet. Pavlik stated that the internet is where journalists, nowadays, would research

materials in beating deadlines, doing follow-up work, fact-checking and internet-based

interviews. The internet presents new opportunities to improve news-gathering by enabling

journalists with a deadline or a budget to communicate with a source or an expert from faraway

places.12

Theoretical Framework

The Gerbner’s General Model of Communication formulated by George Gerbner in 1956

talks about how information could be influenced, manipulated and selected by the media

practitioners based on the factors surrounding the transpirations of events, their own stations

rules and regulations and their own attitude toward the information they’ve gathered. 13

Local media practitioners have different personalities, media stations rules and

techniques they are applying in their careers. The Gerbner’s model states that the means of how

information is gathered depends on the practitioner. The quality of the news stories that they will

produce relied on the quality of the techniques they’ve used in their news-gathering.

The Helical Model of Communication states that communication is a non-linear and

dynamic process. From the starting point, we learn bit by bit about communicating. Infinite

learning happens every day that is why we grew more knowledgeable on how to face difficult

situations day by day. To incorporate this to the study, there are news-gathering techniques that

are practiced during the 1990s that are still done by present journalists. However, there are

improvements of news-gathering that the present mass media practitioners are applying.

12 Pavlik, John. “Audience or Users of Digital Media.” In Media in the Digital Age. Page 77. New York, USA: Columbia

University Press, 2008.

13 “Gerbner’s General Model.” In Communication Theory: All About Theories for Communication. Accessed from http://communicationtheory.org/gerbners-general-model/

Page 9 of 42

Local journalists are facing many decisions based from their ethics and the ethics

required by their media stations. From the book Mass Communication and Philippine Society,

Ables (2003) proposed the idea of the Bok’s model that suggests three steps in looking at an

ethical question. The Bok’s model shows a procedure on how to handle an ethical problem. In

Bok’s model, there are no standards or criteria given for the consequent decision. The model is

only concerned with the process of arriving at a decision.

The three steps are:

First, consult on your own conscience about the “rightness” of an action.

Second, seek expert advice for alternatives to the act creating the ethical problem.

Third, if possible conduct a discussion with the parties in the dispute. These include the

ones directly involved, i.e., the reporter or the source, and the indirectly involved, which are the

readers. 14

Ables also proposed The Potter Box model (formulated by Patterson and Wilkins in

1994), which is a four-step analysis of an ethical problem. The Potter Box discusses about the

principles that could include duty to community and country, aiding the helpless and

disadvantaged, respect for the elderly, etc. Journalists will be able to weigh their decisions using

the potter box.

The Potter Box

FACTS LOYALITIES

VALUES PRINCIPLES

Patterson and Wilkins (1994) presented more guidelines in making ethical decisions

using the principles developed from Immanuel Kant, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. An

approach called categorical imperative, which is taken from the philosophical writings of 14 Ables, Higino. “Ethical Dilemmas: Guidelines and Cases.” Mass Communication and Philippine Society. Pages 106-115.

Philippines: University of the Philippines Press, 2003.

Page 10 of 42

Immanuel Kant. The approach focuses on the duty that motivates the journalist. If a journalist

would follow the categorical imperative, he or she will give up friendship, privacy or personal

interest as long as the duty is fulfilled.

Another approach to ethical question proposed by Patterson and Wilkins is the

utilitarianism, which is developed by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. The utilitarianism

approach answers the question of what are the consequences of the action, who will benefit and

if there are less people harmed. The utilitarianism15 approach determines the significance of

ethics on the social impact from all actions.

Conceptual Framework

The Evaluative Study on the News-Gathering Techniques of Local Journalists from

1990s states that the independent variable is the local journalists from 1990s and the dependent

variable is the news-gathering techniques. The intervening factors of the relationship between the

two concepts are the innovations of technology, accuracy and efficiency of the news-gathering

techniques of journalists, challenges, threats and resolutions of news-gathering.

Local journalists need to gather information and facts for the news they are going to write

or broadcast in order to produce reliable and quality outputs. They need to formulate techniques

in developing their news stories. Aside from formulating techniques to gather news, these local

journalists are experiencing challenges and threats during their news-gathering but these

journalists are also formulating techniques on how to resolve these challenges in their news-

gathering. The innovations of technology, which made the internet and social networking sites

as the source of information and platform for interviews, is another intervening factor. According

to Pavlik (2008), the internet is where journalists nowadays would research materials in beating

deadlines, doing follow-up work, fact-checking and internet-based interviews. The internet

presents new opportunities to improve news-gathering by enabling journalists with a deadline or

a budget to communicate with a source or an expert from faraway places.16

15 Patterson, Philip, and Wilkins Lee. Media Ethics. USA: McGraw-Hill Companies,Incorporated, 2007.

16 Pavlik, John. “Audience or Users of Digital Media.” In Media in the Digital Age. Page 77. New York, USA: Columbia

University Press, 2008.

Page 11 of 42

Independent Variable

Local Journalists from 1990s

Intervening Factors

Innovations of technology that made the

internet and social networking sites possible

as the source of news and interview platform,

accuracy, ethics and efficiency of the news-

gathering techniques of journalists,

challenges, threats and resolutions of news-

gathering.

Dependent Variable

News-Gathering

Techniques

ii. The Conceptual Framework

Hypothesis

The news-gathering techniques of journalists involve personal choices, challenges,

threats and resolutions that dictate how they conduct their fieldwork, write their news stories and

broadcast information.

Definition of Terms

Page 12 of 42

News-gathering –The study defines this term as the means by how journalists obtain

information to write and broadcast news stories.

Accuracy- The study defines this as fact-checking of gathered information by journalists.

False statements and ambiguous facts are avoided.

Efficiency- According to the study, the convenience of the news-gathering techniques by

local journalists should result to favourable results such as producing relevant and reliable news

stories.

Ethical- Ethics is defined in this study as the evaluation of the news-gathering method of

local journalists. Their methods should adhere to the legal and moral laws in the society.

CHAPTER THREE

Page 13 of 42

Research Design

Type of Research Communication

This study will evaluate the news-gathering techniques of local journalists from 1990s

and would concentrate on the study of source and channel or media, since this study discusses

about the local journalists, which are the sources and their news-gathering techniques, which are

the channels. The researchers will study about the challenges and resolutions the source

encountered during the course of their career. The channel or medium will be determined and

analysed if it is effective, accurate and ethical.

Research Design

This study that will evaluate the news-gathering techniques of local journalists from

1990s will utilize two communication research designs, which are intent dimension and

evaluative research design.

Intent Dimension Design is intended in order to determine the news-gathering techniques

of the local journalists from 1990s, assessment on how their ethics were applied and how these

local journalists compromise(d) with the modernization of news-gathering with social media

nowadays.

Evaluative Research Design is the research design to measure change over time and

assess how far objectives have been achieved. This design is used in the study because the study

determines the efficiency, accuracy and the ethics of the news-gathering techniques of the local

journalists who started their careers from 1990s and are constantly improving their practice.

Data Collection Tools

The data collections tools of the Evaluative Study on the News-Gathering Techniques of

Local Journalists from 1990s will include in-depth interviews with three experts regarding the

study, surveys distributed to the different local media stations, and publications discussing about

the news-gathering techniques.

Page 14 of 42

The researchers will be conducting the surveys with the other research team since the

respondents and the sampling technique are the same for both studies. The other researchers

namely Ronelyn Vailoces, Jessah Milvar, Lizbeth Andaya and Cleo Jalandoon are conducting a

study on “Facebook as the Source of News.”

The researchers will conduct surveys to the total population of local journalists from the

different media stations. Beforehand, a pre-test is conducted using the second draft of the survey

sheets given to three selected journalists in order to determine how the first three respondents

treated the questions. The researchers then will be able to assess each question as effective or not

before revising the third draft of the survey.

After revising the third draft of the survey, the researchers will be distributing the surveys

to each media station and collecting them a few days after to give sufficient time to the

respondents to answer. Upon collecting the total number of surveys, the researchers will tally,

graph and interpret the quantitative data from the surveys.

The researches then will set appointments for interviews with the three experts from

where the qualitative data shall be obtained. The three experts are: Ms. Florence Baesa, station

manager of DYMD: The Original Energy FM, Mr. Bingo Dejaresco III, the editor-in-chief of the

Negros Chronicle and Ms. Celia Acedo, assistant professor from the College of Mass

Communication in Silliman University. The researchers prefer to conduct the interviews at the

respective offices of the experts and to go by pair during the appointment.

The researchers will be acquiring publications that discuss about news-gathering from the

Robert B. & Metta J. Silliman Library and dissertations from the World Wide Web from

legitimate websites, preferably exclusively gathering data from the internet-based systems of

certified media institutions.

Page 15 of 42

Respondents of the Study

The respondents on the evaluative study on the news-gathering techniques of local

journalists from 1990s will be derived from the total population of the media practitioners in

Dumaguete.

The respondents from the survey are derived from the total population of the local mass

media practitioners from the print, broadcast and online platforms. The respondents have been

practicing their media professions since 1990s in correlation to their age. The researchers will

distribute surveys to be answered by the journalists from the community newspapers such as the

MetroPost, Negros Chronicle, The Dumaguete Star Informer and the Island News. The radio

stations that will be(distributed surveys?) to are DYMD: The Original Energy FM, DYEM: Bai

Radio, DYGB: Power 91 FM, DYYD: Yes FM Dumaguete while Fil Products Service

Television Incorporated and ABS-CBN Regional Broadcasting Network will be the two TV

broadcasting stations that will be distributed surveys to.

The researchers will be interviewing three experts on the study. The researchers will

interview a station manager of a radio station, an editor-in-chief of a community newspaper and

a journalism professor from a university.

The three experts are Ms. Florence Baesa, station manager of DYMD: The Original

Energy FM, Ely Dejaresco III, the editor-in-chief of the Negros Chronicle and Ms. Celia Acedo,

assistant professor from the College of Mass Communication (CMC) in Silliman University.

These media practitioners and the assistant professor are qualified to answer the inquiries

that the researchers formulated. These experts have experienced the technicalities of working in

media and could provide relevant and reliable perceptions to the study.

The Evaluative Study on the News-Gathering Techniques of Local Journalists will be

using the purposive sampling technique for determining the number of respondents for the

survey. According to Sage Dictionary of Social Research Methods, the purposive sampling

technique is a form of non-probability sampling in which decisions concerning the individuals to

be included in the sample are taken by the researcher, based upon a variety of criteria which may

Page 16 of 42

include specialist knowledge of the research issue, or capacity and willingness to participate in

the research.17

The purposive sampling technique is intended for the study since it concentrates on the

technical aspects of news-gathering of local journalists. The total population of these local media

practitioners are qualified to answer the surveys that inquire about the challenges, procedures and

resolutions regarding their practice.

17 Jupp, Victor. The Sage Dictionary of Social Research Methods. United Kingdom: Sage Publications Ltd, 2006.

Page 17 of 42

Chapter 4

RESULTS AND FINDINGS

This chapter would discuss about the quantitative and qualitative data gathered for

the evaluative study on the news-gathering techniques of local journalists from the 1990s.

The quantitative data was acquired from the surveys where the local journalists

were made to answer. The data was tallied, graphed, interpreted and presented in this chapter.

The qualitative data was gathered from the interview with the experts namely:

Florence Baesa, broadcasting station manager of DYMD: The Original Energy FM; Celia Acedo,

journalism professor from the college of mass communication at Silliman University; and Mr.

Ely Dejarasco, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Negros Chronicle. The study will be selecting

the significant points from the interviews that would relate to the gathered quantitative data.

Figure 1 showed the classification of media platforms from where the respondents

are currently employed in. Most respondents are working on different media stations at the same

time. 7 out of 19 or 36.84 percent of the respondents are writing for the newspaper. 5 out of 19 or

26.32 percent of the respondents are employed at the television networks. 12 out of 19 or 63.16

percent of the respondents are broadcasters from the radio. 6 out of 19 or 31.58 percent of the

respondents are writing news and information for internet websites. This graph reveals that

majority of the media practitioners in Dumaguete are radio broadcasters.

Page 18 of 42

Newsp

aper

Telev

ision

Radio

Internet-

based new

s and in

formati

on web

site

02468

101214

Figure 1: Media Stations

Media Stations

The second graph showed how many stories the local journalists write every

week. 8 out of 19 or 42.11 percent of the respondents write one-two stories every week.4 out of

19 or 21.05 percent of the respondents answered four to six. 1 out of 19 respondents or 5.26

percent answered seven to ten stories. 6 out of 19 respondents or 31.58 percent answered above

ten stories. This graph shows that local journalists write one to three stories every week.

Page 19 of 42

One to Three Four to Six Seven to Ten Above 100

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

News Stories

Number of news stories every week

The third graph discussed about where journalists gather sources for their news

stories. 6 out of 19 or 31.58 percent of the respondents answered they write news stories assigned

by their editors. 10 out of 52.63 percent research for their news stories. 6 out of 19 or 31.58

percent are gathering sources from press release. 6 out of 19 or 31.58 percent are gathering

sources from the statements of the people. 7 out of 19 or 36.84 percent gather from their assigned

beat. 7 out of 19 or 36.84 percent gather from social media. 3 out of 19 or 15.79 percent gather

from other sources (government thrusts, other reporters and flash reports). This graph reveals

that majority of local journalists research for their news stories.

According to Asst. Prof. Celia Acedo, journalism professor from the college of

mass communication at Silliman University, there are three ways to gather information: from

observation, archival research from police reports and government documents and interviews.

Acedo stated that gathering information from social media is ethical and efficient as long as the

journalist makes a distinction between legitimate sites and dubious sites.

Page 20 of 42

Florence Baesa, broadcast station manager of DYMD: The Original Energy FM,

stated that their station do not hesitate to entertain listeners who ‘pitch in’ with news leads

through calling them on the phone but they make sure that the statements from their listeners are

verified first before broadcasting the stories.

Assign

ed by e

ditor

Researc

h

Press R

elease

Statem

ent fr

om people

From Assi

gned

Beat

Socia

l Med

ia

Others0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Source of News

Source of News

The fourth graph determined the number of sources that the local journalists

interview for a news story. 16 of 19 or 84.21 percent answered one to three sources. 2 out 19 or

10.53 percent answered four to six. No respondent answered seven to ten interviewees. 1 out of

Page 21 of 42

19 respondents or 5.26 percent answered more than ten. This graph reveals that majority of the

local journalists interview one-three sources for a news story.

One to Three Four to Six Seven to Ten More Than Ten0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Number of Interviewees

Number of Interviewees

The fifth graph discussed if local journalists research about the person and topic before

they interview. 18 out 19 respondents or 94.74 percent answered yes while 1 out of 19 or 5.26

peercent answered no. This graph reveals that majority of the local journalists research before

they interview.

Baesa stated that it’s important to research about the interviewees or the topics first

before conducting interviews because it will guide you on formulating your questions in order to

obtain information you would want to get.

Acedo agreed with Baesa that researching before the interview as ‘imperative’ because it

guides the journalist to ask the right questions. But Acedo considers that sometimes, journalists

do not have time to research anymore so the journalist just has to try his or her best to formulate

the questions. during the interview.

Page 22 of 42

Yes No0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

Research before the interview

Research before the interview

The sixth graph showed the different sources of information from where

journalists gather information about their interviewees or the topics to discuss at the interview.

16 out of 19 or 84.21 percent of the respondents answered government agencies. 14 out of 19 or

73.68 percent answered press release. 13 out of 19 or 68.42 percent answered they research at the

internet. 7 out of 19 or 36.84 percent answered archives. 4 out of 19 respondents or 21.05

percent they gather information from other sources (radio, inter-agency meeting and interviews

from people). This graph revealed that majority of the journalists gather information from

government agencies to research before their interviews.

Baesa suggested that journalists should obtain about the biography of the person

they will interview, either from the friends of that interviewee or from the school he or she came

from in order to obtain ideas about the person. Baesa stated that journalists could even research

from the internet about the person but it has to be verified first because it is improper to rely on

internet only without assuring its accuracy. Acedo agreed that verification is important when

gathering information from the internet. She stated: “You can research from the internet all the

time because you cannot ignore the internet anymore. It is an extension and improvement of our

life but always verify. If the site is legitimate, then we could always gather information. It is not

the medium but the source.”

Page 23 of 42

Government Agencies

Press Release Internet Archives Others0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Source of Information

Source of Information

The seventh graph determined how local journalists arrange for an interview. 6

out of 19 or 31.58 percent of the respondents answered that they send a letter first to request for

an interview appointment. 14 out of 19 or 73.68 percent answered that they call through

telephone first to arrange for a meeting. 11 out of 19 or 57.89 percent conduct ambush interviews

or conducting interviews without prior notice to the interviewee. 4 out of 19 or 21.05 percent of

respondents answered they conduct interviews by other means (press conference, personal and

email). This graph revealed that majority of the local journalists arranges interview appointments

through phone calls.

Acedo stated that the means of arranging interview depends on the nature of the

story and the interviewee. Acedo agreed that it is ethical to send a letter first to the office of a

public servant before conducting an interview. Baesa noted that conducting ambush interviews

should still be ethical and efficient. Baesa stated that journalists should still ask a formal

Page 24 of 42

permission even if journalists are conducting ambush interviews. She stated that if journalists

only informed the interviewee that she or he will just ask two questions, it should only be two

questions and journalists still need to ask permission to ask for a follow up question.

Baesa stated that it is important for journalists, who are arranging interview

appointments on the phone, to inform the interviewee about the topic you would want to discuss

so that he or she could prepare.

Sending a

letter

to request

for a

n inter

view

Telep

hone call

to ar

range

for a

mee

ting

Ambush

Others02468

10121416

Arranging interview appointments

Arranging interview ap-pointments

The eighth graph revealed if journalists are experiencing difficulties in acquiring

interviews. 9 out of 19 respondents or 47.37 percent are experiencing difficulties in acquiring

interview appointments while 10 out of 19 or 52.63 percent didn’t experience any difficulty in

acquiring interview appointments. This graph revealed that majority of the local journalists do

not experience difficulties in setting up interviews for their news stories

Page 25 of 42

Yes No8.4

8.6

8.8

9

9.2

9.4

9.6

9.8

10

10.2

Difficulties in arranging interviews

Difficulties in arranging interviews

The ninth graph revealed why sources refuse to be interviewed by journalists. 7 out of 19

or 77.78 perccent of respondents who answered they had difficulties in arranging interviews is

because the interviewees are busy. 2 out of 19 or 22.22 percent answered that their interviewees

value privacy. No respondent answered that their interviewees do not trust their company. This

graph determined that majority of the respondents believe that their interviewees are busy that’s

why they had difficulties setting up for an interview.

According to Baesa, journalists should not force any interviewee to answer because it’s

the interviewee’s right to not. But Baesa stated that journalists should be fair in getting all the

sides especially if the news story is controversial. If the sources still refuse to answer, Baesa

suggested that journalists should write or broadcast that they tried to get the side of the source so

that the news is still balanced.

Acedo stated that interviewees refuse to answer questions because they are afraid of

getting misquoted or share initial information. Acedo said that journalists should try their best to

get the side of the story from a source because the sources sometimes give in and talk.

Otherwise, journalists should learn to drop a certain source and interview another. If the certain

Page 26 of 42

source who would not talk is a major elelment in the story, Acedo suggested that journalists

should postpone the story if it is worthy because no one is compelled to talk to any journalist.

Interviewees are busy

Interviewees value privacy

Interviewees do not trust my company

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Reasons of difficulties in arranging in-terviews

Reasons of difficulties in arrang-ing interviews

The tenth graph showed how local journalists handled difficulties in setting up for

an interview. 3 out of 19 respondents or 77.78 percent that they ask experts instead. 7 of 19 or

36.84 percent answered they interview other sources. 5 out of 19 or 26.32 percent answered that

they search the net instead. This graph revealed that majority of the local journalists would

interview other sources when having difficulties arranging an interview with a specific source of

information.

Page 27 of 42

Ask ex

perts

Intervie

w other so

urces

Searc

h the i

nternet

012345678

Handling difficulties of interview

Handling difficulties of interview

The eleventh graph determined the forms of interview that journalists use. 17 of

19 or 89.47 percent of the respondents answered that they prefer to conduct their interviews in

face-to-face. 2 of 19 or 10.53 percent answered they conduct their interviews through internet

chat. 16 of 19 or 84.21 percent answered telephone call. 3 of 19 answered they conduct their

interviews through text message. 1 of 19 or 5.26 percent answered they use email to interview.

This graph showed that face-to face interview is still the method used by the local journalist to

conduct interviews.

Acedo stated that it is efficient, accurate and ethical to conduct interviews through

Skype and Facebook Chat as long as the story and the source is credible and the person is

faraway. Baesa agreed with Acedo that it is acceptable to interview through the internet because

people nowadays are busy.

Baesa stated that journalists should be careful when using internet chat and text

message when interviewing because there is a danger of assurance if the person you intend to be

talking to is really the one using their cellphone and their account. Acedo stated that it is alright

to clarify information through text but not to conduct the whole interview. Acedo also

Page 28 of 42

emphasized that conducting interviews through texts depends on the relationship of the

interviewee and the journalist.

Baesa still finds the method efficient and accurate in gathering information because

interviewees would not have the chance to deny that they didn’t say those statements from an

interview.

Face-to-face interview

Video Chat or Internet Chat

Telephone Call

Text Message Email0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Forms of interview

Forms of interview

The twelfth graph determined the equipment used in the interview by the local

journalists. 12 of 19 or 63.16 percent of journalists still use paper and pen while interviewing. 12

of 19 or 63.16 percent of journalists use tape recorder. 8 of 19 or 42.11 percent use video camera

to interview. 4 of 19 or 21.05 percent use laptop. 2 of 19 or 10.53 percent of the respondents use

other equipment (phone, tablet). This graph showed that majority of the journalists is still

traditional in conducting interviews through using pen, paper and tape recorder to interview.

According to Baesa, using the tape recorder is efficient because the journalist would not

commit mistakes in writing the story and tape recorders is an evidence that the interview

happened, which the source couldn’t deny his statement.

Page 29 of 42

Pen and paper

Tape recorder Video Camera Laptop Others:0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Interview Equipment

Interview Equipment

The thirteenth graph determined if journalists ask permission to their interviewees to

use a certain kind of equipment before the interview. 13of 19 respondents or 68.43 percent

answered yes while 6 of 19 or 31.58 percent answered no. This showed that majority of the

journalists still practice in asking permission to use their equipment before the interview.

According to Acedo, it is ethical to ask permission first to use the equipment before the

interview such as to take a picture and to record except if the interviewee called for a press

conference where it is expected that cameras and equipment will be present and there’s no need

to ask permission to take pictures or record statements anymore.

Page 30 of 42

Yes No0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Asking permission to use equipment before the interview

Asking permission to use equipment before the interview

This fourteenth graph determines how many local journalists gather information

from social networking sites. 17 of 19 or 89.47 percent answered yes while 2 of 19 or 10.53

percent answered no. This graph revealed that local journalists are using social networking sites

as sources of information.

Yes No0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Gathering information from social network-ing sites

Gathering information from social networking sites

Page 31 of 42

This fifteenth graph determines what social networking sites do journalists use in

order to obtain information. 15 out of 19 or 78.95 percent answered Facebook. 5 of 19 or 26.32

percent answered Twitter. 2 of 19 or 10.53 percent answered YouTube. 7 of 19 or 36.84 percent

answered Blogs. 3 of 19 or 15.79 responded that they use other social networking sites to gather

information (Online News OPrganizations, News Sites, Feed.com). This graph shows that the

majority of local journalists gather information from Facebook.

Acedo said that gathering information from Facebook is ethical but the journalist

has to make sure that they should gather complete accurate information. She said that journalists

should be wary of linked dubious sites and just gather information from the legitimate sites such

as the Philippine National Police (PNP) and press release from the Philippine Information

Agency (PIA).

According to Baesa, Facebook is just a guide for local journalists to gather

information. She said that Facebook should not be the only source for a news story to be

broadcasted. Baesa suggested to interview the officials for verification first so that the statement

are given by the authorities and not just from Facebook statuses.

Facebook Twitter Youtube Blogs Others0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Social Networks

Social Networks

Page 32 of 42

This sixteenth graph determined if the local journalists finds it easy to gather

information from social networking sites. 19 of 19 or 100 percent of the respondents answered

yes. This graph revealed that local journalists find social networking sites as a convenient source

of information.

Yes No0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

Easier to get information from social networking sites

Easier to get information from social networking sites

This seventeenth measures the efficiency of gathering of information from social

networking sites from the ratings of the local journalists. 4 of 19 or 21.05 percent answered

excellent. 5 of 19 or 26.32percent answered good. 10 of 19 or 52.63 percent answered

satisfactory. No respondent answered below average. This graph revealed that majority of the

local journalists do not only depend on social networking sites as the source of information.

Page 33 of 42

Excellent Good Satisfactory Below Average0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Easier to get information from social networking sites

Easier to get information from social networking sites

This eighteenth graph determines the other intervening factors of news-gathering by

the journalists, which are the threats and resolutions. This eighteenth graph shows the

considerations of journalists when during their news-gathering. 9 of 19 or 47.37 percent

considered invasion of privacy. 13 of 19 or 68.42 percent considered confidential accounts. 14 of

19 or 73.68 considered libel. 16 of 19 or 84.21 percent considered safety. 1 of 19 or 5.26 percent

considered other factors (cultural background).

This graph revealed that safety is the top priority among the majority of local journalists.

Page 34 of 42

Invasio

n of Priv

acy

Confidential

Account

Libel

Safet

y

Others:

02468

1012141618

Considerations of News-Gathering of Local Journalists

Considerations of News-Gather-ing of Local Journalists

The nineteenth graph determines the different threats encountered by local journalists

during news-gathering. 5 of 19 or 26.32 percent answered bribery. 1 of 19 or 5.26 percent

answered death threats. 13 of 19 or 68.42 percent answered none. 1 of 19 or 5.26 percent

answered other threats (accidents). No respondent answered for sexual harassment. This graph

revealed that bribery is the most common threat experienced by the majority of local journalists.

According to Baesa, it is banned in her broadcasting station since accepting bribery

may require journalists to twist the story and would lead to unfair reporting. Baesa stated that

accepting bribes may result to debt of the journalists towards the briber and will result to

distortion of stories later. Baesa also cautioned ladies on sexual harassment. She said if women

journalists are starting to feel harassed, she should stand her ground and inform her interviewee

that she is professional.

Page 35 of 42

Bribery

Sexu

al Hara

ssmen

t

Death th

reats

None

Others0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Threats in News-Gathering

Threats in News-Gathering

The twentieth graphs revealed how these local journalists handled their threats

while they were gathering information. 3 out of 19 or 15.79 percent answered that they report it

to their editor or station. 3 out of 19 or 15.79 percent answered that they report it to the police. 4

of 19 or 21.05 percent of the respondents answered that they will file for a security protection. 1

of 19 or 5.26 percent answered other means of handling threats (for bribery: decline personally).

Baesa stated that she personally reported to the police when she was having death threats.

She advised women journalists to report to the police if they are experiencing sexual harassment

during their interviews.

Report

to edito

r or s

tation

Report

to police

File f

or a se

curit

y pro

tection

Others01234

Resolutions of Threaths from News-Gathering

Resolutions of Threaths from News-Gathering

Page 36 of 42

CHAPTER FIVE

Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations

Summary of the study

This study is to evaluate the efficiency, accuracy and ethics in the news-gathering

techniques of local journalists from 1990s. This study was conducted to provide information to

the journalism professors from the different universities in Dumaguete, publishers and editors of

the print media and the broadcast station managers about the state of the journalism profession in

the local setting.

This study determined how local journalists gather information and conduct interviews in

the digital age. The study also determined the intervening factors between local journalists and

their news-gathering techniques, which are the innovation of technology, threats, challenges and

resolutions in news-gathering.

The study distributed surveys to the local journalists where they were made to select, rate

and specify their answers to the questions that asked about their procedures of news-gathering,

the difficulties they experienced, the threats they experienced and the resolutions they

formulated. The researchers also interviewed three experts regarding the study specified as an

editor from a community newspaper, broadcast station manager and a journalism professor from

the a university. These experts were able to provide perceptions that will support the quantitative

results from the survey.

The study found out that majority of the local journalists is still incorporating traditional

styles in their news-gathering such as conducting research before the interview, arranging

interviews through phone calls, using the face-to-face form of interview and using tape recorder

as equipment during their interview.

Even if the journalists are still adhering to the traditional methods of news-gathering,

majority are utilizing the capabilities of the internet in gathering information especially from

social networking sites. According to the journalism professor and a broadcast station manager,

it is still ethical and efficient to gather information from the internet but journalists should only

Page 37 of 42

trust legitimate websites and avoid dubious websites. The broadcast station manager stated that

social networking sites should not be the only source to gather and verify information for news

stories.

According to the majority of the local journalists, they experience bribery during their

news-gathering and majority of them considers safety in their practice. Local journalists report

the threats they experience to the police. Thus, at the end of the study, major findings were

brought up, conclusions and recommendations are formulated.

Major findings

Based on the data gathered that was graphed, analysed and interpreted from the surveys

and interviews with the experts, the study was able to answer the problems stated:

1.) How efficient and accurate do local journalists gather information for their

news stories?

Local journalists gather information from various sources and do not rely

on one source only. Local journalists use traditional news sources such as from press

release, government agencies but they also use the internet. Majority of the local

journalists stated that they find it easy to gather information from social networking sites.

According to the experts, journalists should verify information first before they

incorporate it in their news stories and should not rely only on social networking sites as

source of information.

2.) How ethical do local journalists conduct interviews?

Majority of the local journalists conduct research from government

agencies first before conducting the interview. According to the experts, it is imperative

to research about the person or the topic to be discussed in order to formulate the right

questions and gather the information that the journalist would want.

Majority of the local journalists arrange interviews through phone calls.

According to the experts, journalists should inform the interviewees about the topic in

order for the interviewees to prepare.

Page 38 of 42

Majority of the local journalists still use the traditional method of

conducting face-to-face interviews but still a minority is conducting interviews through

text message. According to the experts, journalists should make sure that the person

responding to their texts is really the person. Interviewing through text is ethical but it

should depend on the relationship between the journalist and the source. If a journalist

clarifies through text with the source after the interview, it is ethical. But according to

Acedo, conducting the whole interview through text message is unacceptable.

Majority of the local journalists still ask for permission in using their

equipment before the interview. According to experts, it is ethical to ask permission to

take pictures or take videos of someone during the interview.

3.) What are the difficulties of news-gathering experienced by the local

journalists and how were they able to resolve these difficulties?

Some local journalists experienced difficulties in sharing interviews and

majority of them stated that the reason why is because the interviewees were busy.

According to the experts, journalists should not force anyone to talk to them and to

postpone the story instead. Local journalists were able to handle the difficulty in

arranging interviews by interviewing other sources.

Local journalists experienced various threats in news-gathering. Majority

of the answers were bribery and death threats. Majority of the local journalists report

these threats to the police.

Conclusions

Presented are the conclusions drawn from the gathered, interpreted and analysed data for

the evaluative study on the news-gathering techniques of local journalists from 1990s.

Local journalists are still using traditional methods of gathering

information such as from government agencies, press release and research but they are

also using the capabilities of the internet in their news-gathering. These practices are

Page 39 of 42

efficient because local journalist do not only rely on one source only. The information

from social media is accurate as long as the journalist gathers information from legitimate

sites only and verified it by consulting with more sources such as conducting interviews.

Local journalists are practicing efficiency in their news-gathering since

majority of them interview about the person or the topic first before the interview and

majority of them gather information from government agencies.

According to the experts, conducting interviews over the internet is

efficient if the interviewee is from a faraway place and there is no other alternative

method.

There is still a practice of ethics during ambush interviews. According to

the experts, journalists should ask permission first and state how many questions would

they ask.

Local journalists should inform the interviewee about the topic to be

discussed when arranging interviews over the telephone so that the interviewee could

prepare.

Local journalists should be careful when conducting interviews over text

messages because the interviewee might not be the actual source but according to one

expert of the study, conducting interviews over text messages should be avoided.

Facebook is the social networking site that majority of the local journalists

gather information from. It is ethical as long as the journalist will verify the information.

Local journalists are adhering to ethics since majority of them ask

permission first to use such equipment before the interview.

Bribery is the number one threat in news-gathering among local

journalists. Majority of them report it to the police and one respondent specified that he

or she turned the offer down.

Recommendations

Presented here are the recommendations that the study on the evaluation of news-

gathering techniques of local journalists from 1990s was able to formulate:

Page 40 of 42

Editors and broadcast station managers should establish rules and

regulations to their journalists in using the internet for gathering information to assure the

verification and credibility of the information before the publication.

Editors and broadcast station managers should regularly monitor their

journalists’ performance according to their ethics.

Publishers of print media and broadcast station managers should provide

adequate protection to their journalists by coordinating with the police force directly

since their journalists are vulnerable to death threats and bribery.

A study on analysing the practice of ethics among local journalists should

be conducted by other researchers.

Page 41 of 42