A Comparative Analysis of the Coverage of the Philippine Star and the Philippine Daily Inquirer of the PBA Teams from the Manuel V. Pangilinan and San Miguel Corporation Group of Companies vs. the Other League Teams
A Comparative Analysis of the Coverage of the Philippine Star and the Philippine Daily Inquirer of the PBA Teams from the Manuel V. Pangilinan and San Miguel Corporation Group of Companies vs. the Other League Teams
Abstract
This study sought to determine if there is a bias towards the Philippine Basketball Association teams owned by the Manuel V. Pangilinan and San Miguel Corporation group of companies in the Philippine Star and the Philippine Daily Inquirer due to a perceived advertising clout that they hold over the newspapers. It was a descriptive research that looked at the current state of sportswriting with regard to the PBA. The study also sought to explore whether the political economy of mass media shape news, compromising journalism ethics and principles in the process. Two research methods were used in this study: (1) a content analysis of the advertisements, articles, and photos depicting each PBA team in the Philippine Star and the Philippine Daily Inquirer and (2) in-depth interviews. The researchers found from the content analysis that the two broadsheets provided sufficient publicity to all PBA teams, regardless of whether their owners are big advertisers or not. However, they discovered that the league’s sportswriting ‘culture’ relies heavily on human relationships established between the companies and the gatekeepers of information.
Key words: Agenda-Setting, Political Economy, Media Reality, Sportswriting, Sports journalism, basketball, PBA, San Miguel Corporation, Manuel V. Pangilinan