A Study of Tuguegarao Community Newspapers Northern Forums and Northern Posts Content and Watchdog Function
Umal Nga Kitu (Mute Dog): A Study Of Tuguegarao Community Newspapers Northern Forum's And Northern Post's Content And Watchdog Function
ABSTRACT
This study aims to determine the internal and external factors that affect the news content and watchdog function of the community newspapers Northern Forum and Northern Post, as well as the effect ultimately on the readers. Both newspapers are centered in Tuguegarao City but circulate throughout Region 2. For the study, the researchers personally interviewed the editors and owners of the newspapers, as well as a writer of a government news agency in Tuguegarao City. They interviewed readers of the said community newspapers to determine their effects on the readers. They also performed a content analysis of the July- December 2010 news articles to determine their journalistic quality in terms of accuracy, balance, humaneness, stewardship and technicality. The researchers found out that the internal factors affecting the news content are ownership, organizational structure, educational background of the staff, political background of the staff, working policies, slant, target market, level of technologies and finance. The external factor that affects the news content is the political atmosphere of Cagayan Valley. Both these community newspapers are not able to perform their watchdog function in the ideal sense as they only publish developmental news fed to them by government news agencies. Since they only publish pro-government news, the readers are led into believing that the government is faultless, contrary to reality.
Cantilero, Monica Joy O. & Coballes, Jan Karl C. (2007). Umal Nga Kitu (Mute Dog): A
Study of Tuguegarao Community Newspapers Northern Forum's and Northern Post's Content and Watchdog Function, Unpublished Undergraduate Thesis, University of the Philippines, College of Mass Communication.
Subject Index: Asian newspapers, Government and the press--Philippines