FEATURING POVERTY: An Analysis on the Knowledge Formation of Poverty During Coverage of Typhoon Santi, Bohol Earthquake, And Typhoon Yolanda Through Television News Media
FEATURING POVERTY: 'An Analysis on the Knowledge Formation of Poverty During Coverage of Typhoon Santi, Bohol Earthquake, And Typhoon Yolanda Through Television News Media
Cruz, K.E., & Cucueco, C.S. (2014).Featuring poverty: An analysis on the knowledge formation of poverty during coverage of Typhoon Santi, Bohol Earthquake, and Typhoon Yolanda through television news media, Unpublished undergraduate thesis, University of the Philippines Diliman College of Mass Communication.
This study examines how knowledge on poverty is formed through the news media during the coverage on the recent 2013 calamities in the Philippines. Specifically, the study looks at how the news framed the causes and solutions to poverty. Results showed that the media portrayed poverty as a problem caused by the devastation of the calamities. The lack of urgency to inform the public on the structural causes of poverty indicates complacency in addressing the problem through sustainable solutions. Moreover, coverage of pro-poor efforts such as rehabilitation and policy reforms were far less than the coverage on immediate and short term solutions.
The study also looks into the various government agencies and their current programs addressing the concern for poverty alleviation. The findings revealed that there are sustainable pro-poor solutions being implemented; however, these solutions were not highlighted in the news. Despite this, the officials deemed the media as a powerful source of information especially on propagating pro-poor solutions. This study, therefore, provides recommendations on how media, along with the government, can maximize its role as catalyst for public knowledge on poverty alleviation.