Repressed-Sentation: The Portrayal of the Beneficiaries of the Kapusong Totoo Segments in the Primetime TV News Program 24 Oras,
Repressed-Sentation: The Portrayal of the Beneficiaries of the Kapusong Totoo Segments in the Primetime TV News Program 24 Oras
This thesis examines the portrayal of the vulnerable groups in the country, particularly people with disabilities (PWDs) in the segment entitled “Kapusong Totoo” in the local primetime news program of GMA 7, 24 Oras. The said segment is the same namesake of the company’s charitable foundation that aims to air the call for help of people in need. Specifically, this research checks if the guidelines on reporting PWDs as their beneficiaries, as set by government and media institutions were applied and followed by the broadcasting company. 25 episodes from the years 2013 and 2014 were selected to be closely examined.
With the objective of knowing if the said media giant in the Philippines observe the guidelines set by the state and the industry, this study gathered checklists and codes and conducted interviews with representatives of government agencies, non-government organizations and self regulating media functions, this study was produced with balance and utmost objectivity. This dissertation also aimed to find out how these vulnerable groups were portrayed through the segment.
The results showed that the said media company failed to portray and present their beneficiaries as persons with dignity, as they used terminologies and language that further discriminated them and set them as objects of charity. This research also found out that majority of the subjects featured were children with congenital illnesses.
According to the government and non-government organizations interviewed, having this kind of segment in a news program is actually a good idea since the audience is bigger, hence the more help would be given to the beneficiaries. Also, they stated that as long as there is consent from the subjects, there is nothing wrong in featuring them in such segment. Contradictory, the media organization expressed that it would be better to have the segment removed in the news program setting, especially if it features the broadcasting company’s affiliations for there would be conflict of interest and chances of bias and subjectivity.
Buenaventura, C.S., Jose, F.P. (2015). Repressed-Sentation: The Portrayal of the Beneficiaries of the Kapusong Totoo Segments in the Primetime TV News Program 24 Oras, Unpublished Undergraduate Dissertation, University of the Philippines Diliman