An Exploratory Study on the Role of Gender in the State of Women Investigative Journalists in the Philippines from 1989 to 2006
Gavilan, J.A.H (2014). An Exploratory Study on the Role of Gender in the State of Women Investigative Journalists from 1989 to 2006. Unpublished undergraduate thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication.
Unlike other countries that are inflicted with discrimination against women journalists, women investigative journalists dominate the field in the Philippines.
This thesis paints a picture of sixteen years of investigative journalism in the country from the insights, experiences, and opinions of esteemed women investigative journalists that won the Jaime V. Ongpin Award of Excellence in Journalism. This also analyzes the experiences using the Feminist Standpoint Theory in order to set a context in the realm of the journalist.
From interviews of six women investigative journalists in the country, this study found out that gender does not play a role in the success of women in the field. The least their gender did for them was to be treated nicely by men sources.
This study was also able to find out that the emergence of women-led investigative journalism organizations in the 1980s paved way for women to be identified and recognized with the field. Prior to this, men were the only ones considered to be credible enough to take on in-depth reporting. From then on, women were able to reap what they sow by being heads of major investigative journalism bodies in the Philippines while mentoring emerging women journalists.
