MANILA, Philippines – Local or community newspapers in the Philippines are taking a hit due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the latest Digital News Report showed that only one in 5 Filipinos would miss local newspapers “a lot” if these go out of business.

Yvonne Chua, associate professor of the journalism department of the University of the Philippines Diliman, presented the findings of the 2020 Digital News Report in a webinar hosted by the Philippine Press Institute (PPI) and Philippines Communication Society on Friday, July 3. Part of the findings showed how much local news consumers would miss their news sources if these stopped operations.

The study showed one in 5 (20%) Filipinos who tend to consume local news said they would miss local or community newspapers “a lot” if these go bust. This is below the average across all 40 countries included in the report, which stood at 35%.

Most of the respondents (48%) said they would only miss local newspapers “somewhat.”

More women respondents answered that they would miss local newspapers a lot compared to men. Across age groups, those who are aged 55 and above said they would miss local media a lot.

Geographically, more respondents in Visayas said they would miss local newspapers a lot compared to those in Luzon and Mindanao.

Meanwhile, local television would be slightly more missed by those who consume local news. One in 4 (25%) Filipinos who consume local news said they would miss local television a lot if they stop broadcasting. The biggest chunk also accounted for those who said they would only miss local television “somewhat.”

Despite having fewer people saying they’d miss local news a lot, Chua noted that the interest in news in general was high – with 54% of respondents saying they were “extremely” or “very interested.” (READ: Interest in news high, but trust low in the Philippines – 2020 Digital News Report)

The Digital Report is an annual survey done by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, which reveals new insights about news consumption around the world. The study surveyed 2,109 respondents from the Philippines from January to February 2020. There were a total of 80,155 respondents across 40 markets worldwide.

This is the first time the Philippines is included in the annual report, meaning that there were no previous findings available for comparison purposes. Data on the Philippines also came from more urban areas, which may tend to represent richer and more connected users.

Can community newspapers survive?

On June 30, The SunStar Group of Companies stopped the publication of its two Mindanao-based newspapers, Sunstar Cagayan de Oro and Superbalita CDO. The management said they needed to “refocus its resources to its newfound goals,” according to a report by MindaNews.

A few days later, Jon Joaquin, editor-in-chief of the Mindanao Daily Mirror, also announced that its last issue would be printed on Friday, July 3. He said the pandemic drastically affected the operations of the paper.

The situation is not limited to the Philippines. Media organizations around the world were struggling due to the restrictions brought by the coronavirus crisis. A report by Poynter said over 30 local newsrooms in the US had closed down as of June 17. Even huge newsrooms have started laying off employees and implementing pay cuts. 

During the open forum part of the webinar, Chua and the organizers were asked if they think community newspapers can survive the next few years, especially amid the threats and attacks made against the press. (READ: Press freedom takes a hit in PH during coronavirus pandemic)

Ariel Sebellino, executive director of the PPI, said that community papers can survive as long as the industry stays relevant.

“The last time people were saying, 10 years ago, that print is going to die – we’re still here. And we can probably console ourselves by saying that no matter the struggles – because we are always a struggling industry – if we can recalibrate most of our services to be more focused and very attentive to the needs of the community newspapers, then we probably would be relevant in that tone,” Sebellino said.

Chua added that collaboration between members of the media and advocates of press freedom could help community newspapers stay relevant.

“There is one thing that I’ve always felt, and this is something perhaps the local media can do. If you notice, I keep harping on collaboration,” she said.

Chua explained that while going around for media literacy campaigns, she realized that there are people who are not aware of legitimate media organizations because it is not easy to find news.

“But if we collaborate and find ways, it would make our presence, our existence more relevant to the public – including to netizens who are often deceived or misled by trolls,” Chua added.

Through collaboration, Chua said people in the media can make sure that there is a repository of both local and national news. It would then be easier to put out pertinent news in both the digital space and communities.

“If local news remains relevant, then local media sources would have a reason to stay,” Chua said. – Rappler.com