Online News Coverage of the Presidential Candidates in the 2022 Philippine Elections

Abstract

The study investigated how the media covered the presidential candidates of the 2022 Philippines elections. The top presidential candidates were Isko Moreno Domagoso, Ping Lacson, Bongbong Marcos, Manny Pacman Pacquiao, and Leni Robredo. The sources of the data were the online news articles published on the official Facebook page of three news organizations selected based on a specific and chosen criteria. The conduct of the content analysis revealed that some candidates are more frequently reported than others, topics are mostly from campaign sorties, almost all sources are presidential candidates, most main issues and actors are treated positively. Tones are almost straightforward. Majority of the objective are report sentences. Headlines are almost positive and events are captured most as a photo subject. The media for the longest time has been acknowledged for its important role during elections, as it provides information that is necessary for the public to know for their decision making. Hence, as a watchdog of the society they are expected to practice ethically and legally.