PHILIPPINE ONLINE JOURNALISM: - AMIC

PHILIPPINE ONLINE JOURNALISM: 

PROMISE AND PERILS 

By Manuelita Dela Torre Contreras and Crispin C. Maslog* 

Journalism is going through crucial changes – changes that may be considered 

most fundamental to journalism since the advent of the penny press. Worldwide access to 

information, ubiquitous news, real-time reporting, multimedia content, and interactivity 

are just some of the manifestations of this change in the journalism landscape (Pavlik, 

2001). 

Pavlik is referring to no less than the rise of online journalism. Since the creation 

of the first graphical browser for the World Wide Web in 1993, thousands of newspapers 

have made their way to the online realm. In the United States, where online journalism 

traces its early development, there were more than 1000 online newspapers as early as 

1996. By 1999, the number of these newspapers soared to 4900 (Pavlik, 1999; Sproull, 

2000; Hall, 2001). 

In Asia, there were 11 reported newspapers on the Web as early as 1995; among 

them were China’s The China Daily, Malaysia’s Utusan Malaysia, Indonesia’s Kompas, 

and Japan’s Asahi Shimbun (Carlson, 2005). Today, most, if not all, Asian countries can 

be considered practicing online journalism. In Southeast Asia, for instance, a computer 

check revealed that each country has at least one online newspaper. 

________________________________________________________________________ 

* Manuelita Dela Torre Contreras is a master’s degree graduate, and Dr. Maslog 

is a former visiting professor of the School of Communication, Nanyang Technological 

University, Singapore, 

P10 - Crispin C. Maslog.doc 

Received on 12/04/2006

In the Philippines, online journalism started with the arrival of The Manila Times, 

a national daily newspaper, on the Web in 1995, the year after the country acquired a 

permanent public Internet connection (ITU, 2002). In the same year, Business World 

Online was launched on the Web, making its mark as the first Philippine online business 

newspaper. 

Various problems beset the early days of Philippine online journalism; among 

these were fundamental problems such as limited or lack of infrastructure necessary to 

wire the country or to get a basic Internet connection. The Philippines dawdles in 

information and communication technology (ICT). In 2004-2005 for instance, it scored 

negatively (-0.43) and ranked 67th among 104 countries in the Networked Readiness 

Index (NRI), a measure of a country’s readiness to participate in and gain from the 

developments of ICT (World Economic Forum, 2005). 

This limited ICT directly and indirectly affects the development and use of online 

journalism. For one, lack of technology means lack of access to hardware necessary to 

access the Internet and the online medium. Likewise, it hinders the people from acquiring 

ICT literacy, such as the literacy to use computer applications or the computer hardware 

itself. These and other factors are crucial to the tapping and use of online journalism, as 

lack of them means lack of or low access to the online medium. 

Nonetheless, the online medium is now being utilized in the country for purposes 

such as information and communication. Online journalism, for instance, is now being 

used for social advocacy. A number of non-government and non-profit groups have 

started using online journalism to advocate for their cause by, for example, providing 

information on certain issues that are not commonly covered by the mainstream media. 



Also, provincial online news publications help fill the information gap between their 

community and their community members living or working abroad or elsewhere in the 

country. Likewise, national online news publications have become prime sources of news 

and information of Filipinos abroad. They provide a fast and convenient way of getting 

news from home. There are approximately eight million Filipinos working abroad (The 

Manila Times, 2004). In the first half of 2005 alone, for instance, 502,772 overseas 

Filipino workers (OFWs) were deployed to work abroad (INQ7.net, 2005). They work in 

various continents and regions of the world, such as Asia, Europe, North and South 

Americas, Australia, and Africa (Philippine National Statistics Office, 2003). This 

diaspora has created a greater need for news from the Philippines, a need that cannot be 

readily fulfilled by the traditional media because of lack of access to them. 

Online Journalism: Definition and Concepts 

Before zooming in on the case of Philippine online journalism, it is important to 

first know and understand the definition and concepts of online journalism. Online 

journalism is loosely defined as journalism on the Web, which is considered a news 

medium in the sense that it allows the posting of news and information (Stovall 2004). 

This definition, however, misses important facets that make this journalism distinct from 

traditional journalism. Ward (2002) has identified some points that correct 

misconceptions about this medium. He proposes that what basically makes online 

journalism different is the fact that it is multifaceted and user-centered. Unlike traditional 

journalism, which puts audiences at the receiving end of the mass communication 

process, online journalism places users in the forefront of this process. 



In terms of content, online journalism requires that all the elements of the online 

medium support the presentation of online content. Although the other components and 

features (e.g. interactivity) of this medium are indispensable to its full utilization, content 

should remain at the core of online journalism. 

Ward further asserts that the basic precepts and processes of journalism should be 

linked to all the steps of online news gathering, writing, and reporting. Although online 

journalism is considered new and different, the core values and principles of traditional 

journalism should remain at its base. Journalistic principles and processes have to be 

integrated in all the stages of online news production and delivery. 

This paper is based on a study conducted by the authors on the history and 

development of online journalism in the Philippines. The study aimed to trace, describe, 

and analyze the development of the Philippines’ online journalism, using both content 

analysis and interview for its data collection. Document research was also done to trace 

the history of this new medium in the country. 

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT 

Online journalism is relatively new in the Philippines. It was only in 1994 that the 

country acquired a permanent public Internet connection, although some businesses 

started setting up their own connections in the early 1990s. Approximately 90 percent of 

the Internet traffic goes abroad, mostly to the U.S., according to an International 

Telecommunication Union (ITU) case study. But local traffic continues to grow as 

Internet facilities and services continue to improve (ITU, 2002). 



In September 1995, The Manila Times, a national daily newspaper, went online, 

paving the way for other news publications. In its initial and testing phase online, it was 

serving only 100 local subscribers before eventually going international (Pabico, 1999). 

The following month, Business World Online was launched on the Web, establishing its 

niche as the first Philippine business paper to venture online. However, unlike The 

Manila Times, which utilized a windows-based application that allowed easy navigation, 

it was using DOS, a cumbrous system. 

During its early years in the Philippines, online news publishing was not exactly 

seen as something very economically viable to displace print newspapers from their 

throne. Priority was still given to the print medium; putting up an online edition was one 

of those done on the side. Business World Online, for example, was put up with the intent 

of attracting online readers to subscribe to the print newspaper. If readers signed up for 

subscription, they were given access to the online version for an additional monthly fee 

(Pabico, 1999). 

The early days of Philippine online journalism were plagued with various 

problems and limitations; chief of these was the limited or lack of necessary 

infrastructures. For example, the fixed telephone system was ineffectual as there were a 

limited number of telephone lines in the National Capital Region (NCR), and much more 

so in the provinces. This impeded the early and speedy arrival of newspapers and other 

news publications on the Web. It also stymied early access to the online medium by 

Filipino users. 

Provincial news publications came later to the online scene. Their development 

can be traced to the Globicom (Globalization of Island Community Newspapers) project 



initiated in 1999, although some provincial papers (e.g. The Freeman Online, The Bohol 

Times Online, Sun.Star Network Online, etc.) were already online before this project was 

even conceptualized. Globicom aimed at providing a portal where provincial newspapers 

could post their news stories and other articles for online access and consumption. It was 

also meant to connect Philippine Press Institute (PPI) members online, to promote 

interaction among them, and to raise the country’s community press to a higher level 

online. The project was an initiative of the PPI, an organization of Philippine newspapers, 

in partnership with Business World Online and funded by United Nations Educational, 

Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). 

Globicom came up with templates for community newspapers that participated in 

the project and organized seminars for their publishers and editors. A number of 

newspapers were able to go online and sustain their presence on the Web even after 

Globicom’s termination. However, according to PPI’s former executive director Ermin 

Garcia, Jr., the project was barely successful mainly because of lack of funding and 

support from Internet service providers. Also, it should be noted that several community 

or provincial papers went online without Globicom’s assistance. 

One of the crucial points in the history of Philippine online journalism was in 

1998. This year saw the rise of news publications going online, as well as of the 

perceived profitability of the online medium. By this time, more and more companies 

started to see the advertising potentials of this medium, with the 1997 economic crisis 

helping boost online advertising as a cheaper alternative to mainstream media advertising 

(Datinguinoo, 1999). 



Now, the Philippines has more than 30 known online news publications, although 

some had been inactive for a period of time. This figure includes only those that provide 

news as their main service, ranging from online versions of print newspapers to online 

daily newspapers, online weekly newspapers, online news magazines, and online 

newspaper-television joint ventures. Many of them are based in Metro Manila; the others 

are in the provinces. INQ7.net, a joint venture of a television network and a major 

national daily, claims the biggest readership. 

The low Internet penetration and access and the unequal distribution of Internet 

connection in the country constrain online news publications from reaching more 

audiences. However, the online medium continues to bring opportunities for online 

publication. The number of online news websites has increased, although some had 

closed down. All the major daily newspapers in the country have their online versions. 

Some non-profit groups (e.g. Bulatlat.com) have started taking advantage of the online 

opportunity to put their causes forward by, for instance, providing news, discussion, and 

analysis not commonly found in the mainstream media. 

Understandably, Philippine online news publications experience the highest 

number of visits, mostly by Filipinos abroad as well as foreign observers, during crucial 

events and periods. For example, during the impeachment trial of former president Joseph 

Estrada in December 2000, abs-cbnNEWS.com recorded an average of 1.5 million visits 

per day, reaching five million during the peak of Estrada’s overthrow from power. On 

ordinary days, it gets around 300,000 hits a day (Torres, 2004). 

Philippine Online Journalism: Early Promise 



Overall, Philippine online journalism is still in its infancy. Although some 

publications went online as early as 1995, most of them can be considered young, while 

the others are relatively new. Hence, experimentation, adjustment, and alteration are 

evident among them. Some did not go further than the experimentation stage and had 

folded, while the others keep up and continue to make some progress. Although this 

progress is slow, the country’s online journalism is likely to advance once the 

fundamental shortcomings and pressing problems are addressed and resolved. 

Online Access 

The Internet has low penetration in the Philippines mainly due to lack of 

sufficient ICT infrastructure and the high cost of Internet subscription and the necessary 

hardware (only 2.7 percent of households having personal computers as of 2000, 

according to ITU). The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) reported 

1,852,333 Internet subscribers in 2003. In 1999, the Internet penetration was recorded at 

0.62 percent, and 2.46 percent or approximately 2.0 million users at the end of 2000 

(ITU, 2002). In 2003, there were 3.5 million recorded Internet users in the country, while 

in 2004, the number jumped to 11.8 million, both at residential and commercial levels 

(ITU, 2004; IDC, 2005). 

Most of those with Internet access are in the NCR and those abroad where access 

is better and easier. Many Philippine rural areas do not have Internet access because of 

lack of fixed telephone line, which is necessary for dial-up connection, the most common 

and cheapest form of Internet connection in the country. Fixed telephone lines are 

concentrated in the NCR, which has 43 percent of the 6.5 million fixed lines in the 



country (NTC 2003 Status Report, 2004). What makes the situation more difficult is the 

fact that some rural, far-flung communities do not have electricity or regular supply of 

electricity. According to a National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) data, 2.8 

million Filipino families living below the poverty level do not have electricity (The 

Manila Times, 2003). 

Insufficient and inefficient ICT infrastructure leads to inequality in access and use 

of the Internet. This inevitably leads to what is called ‘digital divide’ within the country 

between the areas with sufficient infrastructure (notably the NCR) and those without or 

with limited infrastructure (mostly far-flung provinces and communities). It can be 

deduced here that there is also unequal or uneven growth of ICT literacy between these 

geographic areas. These factors consequently contribute to the uneven access to and use 

of the online medium. 

Kinds of Philippine Online News Publications 

Most Philippine news websites are online newspapers, many of them Web 

editions of print dailies, weeklies, or semi-weeklies. The others are online news 

magazines and television-newspaper joint ventures. These publications come out in 

various frequencies, most of them daily. The rest come out less frequently, such as 

weekly, semi-weekly, and bi-monthly. The presence of these less frequent publications 

does not seem apt on the Web because of the nature of the medium itself. As they are 

updated less often, their content seems too old to be considered news. 

More than half of the identified publications, both provincial and national, are 

published in English. Even those using both local language and English dominantly had 



more articles written in English. Among the few news websites published in local 

language, only one is province-based; the rest are all Metro Manila-based. 

With several provincial news websites folding up in the last few months and 

years, by the time the study was being conducted, there were more Metro Manila-based 

than province-based online publications. Their ratio shows a big discrepancy, considering 

the number of provinces in the country and their geographic size and coverage compared 

to that of Metro Manila. This gap may still widen if small community news websites 

continue to close down mainly because of financial constraints. 

Table 1.0 Online news publications based on scope of coverage or audience reach 

National online news publications 

Online newspapers: 

Abante Online 

Abante Tonite Interactive 

Balita 

Business World Online 

Chinese Commercial News 

Kabayan News Online 

Malaya 

Manila Standard 

Pinoy Weekly Online 

PJI Journal Group 

Philstar.com 

Tempo 

The Daily Tribune 

The Manila Bulletin Online 

The Manila Times 

TODAY 

Online television-newspaper publications: 

abs-cbnNEWS.com 

INQ7.net 

Online news magazines: 

Bulatlat.com 

Cyberdyaryo 


Received on 12/04/2006 

Provincial online news publications 

Online newspapers: 

Bandillo ng Palawan 

Daily Zamboanga Times 

KAIBA News and Features 

Mindanao Times News Online 

MindaNews 

Sun.Star Network Online 

Sunday Punch Online 

TarlacNews.net 

The Bohol Chronicle 

The Bohol Times Online 

The Freeman Online 

The Ilocos Times Online 

The Mindanao Daily Mirror 

The Palawan Times 

The Visayan Daily Star 

Tribune Eastern Visayas Online News 

Online news magazine: 

Nueva Ecija Journal

(Sources: Philippine Journalism Review, http://www.pinoypress.net, http://www.worldnewspapers.com/philippines.html, 

http://www.yehey.com/search/categories.aspx?c=903) 

Content 

Content-wise, most Philippine online news publications are still stuck in the basic 

level of online content development. More than half of the publications use shoveled 

content or content that is taken from a traditional medium, mostly newspapers. These 

publications are all online versions of print publications, which serve as their sole source 

of content. Most of those with print counterparts simply shovel content from their print 

edition, adding some refurbishings and features such as links to other articles or sections, 

a search engine, and feedback mechanisms for readers. Publications without print 

counterparts mostly have limited content; recycling or re-using of old articles is common 

among them. 

Five of the identified publications run a combination of both original and 

shoveled contents. They all have traditional media counterparts (newspaper or television 

network), and are regularly updated for breaking news. These publications, however, 

vary in their amount or quantity of original content and shoveled content. INQ7.net, for 

instance, has far more original content than Philstar.com, as it runs original or web-only 

sections besides its breaking news. On the other hand, Philstar.com carries only breaking 

news for its original content. Five of the news websites run original content because they 

are solely web publications. 

Two news websites can be considered in an advance stage in terms of content. 

They are characterized by their original articles and more interactive and sophisticated 

features appended to their content to make reading and navigation easier. Other features 



are also present, such as sending of articles through email, instant sending of comments 

on articles, text-only option, and article index. INQ7.net, for instance, can be considered 

in an advance stage. Although it posts articles from its print counterpart, it runs original 

content and features several sections targeted at specific niches of audiences (e.g. Global 

Nation for Filipinos abroad, Roadtrip for travelers, YOU for young audiences, etc.). 

Besides, it has features, capabilities, and services comparable to those of major 

international news content providers. 

Sections and Articles 

Most of the news websites carry the usual newspaper sections, but the number of 

these sections varies between the national-based and the province-based publications. 

The national websites have more variety and choices of sections, ranging from news 

sections such as breaking, national, Metro, provincial, and other news to more specific 

sections such as business, features, and lifestyle. However, the presence or number of 

these sections is never uniform among the publications. Even among the major news 

websites based in Metro Manila, their number of sections varies; some have more, some 

less. The commonly missing sections among the provincial publications include breaking 

news, business, international news, lifestyle, and audio-visual. 

Stories are more on national and local news. Some national publications carry 

international news from wires, but these are limited in number. Some do not normally run 

international news, unless there are events of national or international concern. Province- 

based publications do not commonly run international news. Readers’ interest is more in 

local news. For instance, community members based overseas would prefer to read more 

about their community, municipality, or province than about other countries. 



The publications have various numbers of articles, although most of the national- 

based with print editions carry more than 50. On the other hand, most province-based 

with print counterparts have an average of 21 to 30 articles. Those with the least number 

of stories are a weekly publication and a bi-monthly journal, both province-based. 

Understandably, provincial publications have less content as their ambit of coverage and 

audience reach are relatively small. Those with print counterparts have an obvious edge 

over those solely web-based in terms of content. They have a regular source of articles 

besides, in the case of a few big publications, their original content. 

The frequency of content updating of most of the websites is tantamount to the 

frequency of their publication. That is, if the publication is being published weekly, 

normally it is also being updated weekly. Only a few publications (INQ7.net, 

Philstar.com, Sun.Star Network Online, Balita.org, and abs-cbnNEWs.com) update their 

content (mainly their major news articles) constantly. These are the publications with 

breaking news, and once again, they are mostly national-based. Many of the publications 

are updated daily or regularly, as most of them are online daily newspapers. The least 

updated is the one with the least frequency of publication – Nueva Ecija Journal, which 

is a bi-monthly online news magazine. 

Content Availability 

In terms of content availability, majority of the publications have accessible 

archives, most of them free of charge. Only one, Business World Online, has paid access 

to all its archive. INQ7.net also practices paid access, but its last seven days of issues can 

be accessed for free. Most of the accessible archives carry past issues dating back up to at 



least one year. The longest archive duration is 11 years (Business World Online), and the 

shortest is five days (The Daily Tribune). The average or most common duration is one to 

two years. 

The most common type of archive searching is by date, as most of the past issues 

of the online publications are compiled based on their date of issue, commonly by month. 

Only a few archives can be accessed or searched using more than one option, such as 

both by date and subject or key words. The other types of searching are by author and 

section, although very few publications use these. 

It is interesting to note that of the seven publications without accessible archive, 

five of them are Metro Manila-based, which include two of the considered leading news 

websites in the country. (See table below.) 

Alternative means of news delivery such as through SMS and news mail are 

available, but only to a limited extent. Only a few big publications offer SMS news 

service. 

Online News Publications 

Abante Online 

Abante Tonite Interactive 

abs-cbnNEWS.com 

Balita.org 

Bandillo ng Palawan 

Bulatlat.com 

Business World Online 

Cyberdyaryo 

INQ7.net 

Malaya 

Manila Standard 



Table 2.0 Online news publications’ archive availability 

Archive 

Accessible 

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Mindanao Times News 

Online 

MindaNews 

Nueva Ecija Journal 

Philstar.com 

Pinoy Weekly Online 

PJI Journal Group 

Sun.Star Network Online 

Sunday Punch Online 

TarlacNews.net 

Tempo 

The Bohol Chronicle 

The Bohol Times Online 

The Daily Tribune 

The Freeman Online 

The Ilocos Times Online 

The Manila Bulletin Online 

The Manila Times 

The Mindanao Daily 

Mirror 

The Visayan Daily Star 

Multimediality 

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The presence of multimedia features or the multimediality of the subject 

publications is at a modest stage. Download options and audio and audio-video services, 

for instance, are a rarity. Similarly, useful links to related information in major articles 

are largely absent. The other options include download of the front page of a few 

publications’ print counterparts and some data. 

In terms of multimedia services or features, overall the subject publications 

cannot be considered in an advance stage, as most of them have only basic features such 

as simple images. The use of graphics is also low, as most of the publications have simple 

and basic design and layout. 

Content Services 



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Among the services available in the subject publications are email newsletter, 

news through SMS (short message service) or mobile phone, results of licensure 

examinations (e.g. medical, engineering, and bar examinations), and “about us” section (a 

section that provides information about the publication). Only a little more than half of 

the news websites carry information about the publications themselves or the 

organizations behind them. The study underscored the value of such information as it 

allows the readers to know the people or the organization behind the publication and 

helps them gauge the credibility of the news website. It is particularly useful to new 

users. 

Only a few national publications, most of them big and leading media 

organizations, offer SMS news service. Those that post examination results are all 

national publications; the same with news mail service. Other services available include 

online community bulletin and currency converter. 

Links in Articles 

Links in major news stories are mostly to other articles in the same section, and 

not to related articles. There lack links to related information within the story. Only one 

publication (INQ7.net) is noted to have these links, which readers can follow through to 

get more information about the same topic or story. Similarly, it is the only news website 

with links to related photos and audio-video clips. There is not a single publication whose 

major news articles have links to related information in other websites. Some stories have 

links to other articles and sections in the same website, but apparently they have no 

relation to the stories. 



Features 

The interactivity of the subject publications varies, with a few offering advance 

interactive features and the rest offering only basic ones. The most common interactive 

feature present among the subject publications is email, followed by links to other 

websites, site search engine, and then feedback section. Forums and/or message boards 

can be found more on the provincial news websites. They serve as a channel for the 

exchange of information between users within and outside their communities, including 

community members based in other countries. Site map is also a useful feature to readers, 

especially when the news website contains many sections, features, or services. However, 

this is not commonly featured by the subject publications. Polls and chatrooms are also 

minimally featured. Not all these features, however, guarantee interactivity as some of 

them may not be functional or have some problems. 

Majority of the publications provide only one email, which is mostly at the 

publication level or for the whole publication. Overall, the subject publications offer 

insufficient feedback mechanism through email. Most of them provide only one email, 

which might not always be functional and does not guarantee a two-way communication 

between the publication and its users. 

Other online features available include article index, text-only option, help, and 

article sending through email, but these are not being fully utilized by the online news 

publications. Article sending through email is slightly being used, mostly by national- 

based websites. Article index and text-only option allow easier and faster reading, but 



they are also hardly being utilized by the publications. Help section is not commonly 

used either. 

National-based vs. Province-based 

In terms of content, national-based publications have an edge over the province- 

based understandably because of their nationwide scope and coverage and their economic 

advantage, as most of them have long-established print and/or television network 

counterparts. On the other hand, community or province-based news websites have 

limited coverage and audience reach. Most of them cover only the community, city, or 

province where they are based. 

However, interactive features-wise, these publications are not far from each other. 

If most provincial news websites lack features and capabilities for them to be considered 

interactive, so do most national news websites. Hence, improvements in terms of 

interactivity and capabilities should come from both national and provincial publications. 

Perils of Philippine Journalism: Problems and Limitations 

Online news publications are not without disadvantages and limitations. In the 

Philippines, the root problems are not in the medium itself or its features and capabilities 

or the lack of these. Fundamental issues such as lack of resources and technology and 

limited access to the Internet and computer hardware are more pressing. For instance, 

lack of necessary technology is prevalent in rural areas where there is no fixed telephone 

line necessary for basic Internet connection. Notwithstanding the presence of fixed 

telephone lines, economic factors hamper people from acquiring the necessary hardware 



and software, from subscribing to an Internet service provider, and even from acquiring 

telephone lines. 

Such fundamental issues lead to other problems. Limited reach and low number 

of users leave many uses of the online medium untapped. Such disadvantage is greater in 

the countryside, a result of what is called ‘digital divide’ where NCR residents are getting 

most of the opportunity to use the medium because of better technology and higher 

Internet access. 

Although these issues are apparently fundamental, economic or financial concerns 

among Philippine online news publications stand as the most pressing problems. Almost 

all of the study’s informants contended that lack of profit or income from the online 

medium is the biggest concern troubling Philippine online news publications. Most of 

them acknowledged the fact that most, if not all, news websites in the country are not 

making any money. One of the main reasons for this is the expectation of users that all 

the information on the Internet, including online news, should be free. 

One of the specific problems among Philippine online news publications is the 

lack of regular updating. A number of publications have not been updated for months and 

even years. This problem may be traced to lack of staff to do news reporting and writing 

and to do regular updating mainly because of economic constraints. This problem has 

even led some province-based publications to close down. Even some national online 

newspapers suffered from late or lack of updating. 

Limited number of stories or lack of news articles and lack of in-depth reporting 

pose more problems to small publications. For some news websites, lack or limited 

number of stories is a cause of delay in their content updating and results to recycling or 



e-use of past articles. However, this problem is not so much with publications with print 

counterparts, which serve as their main source of online content. 

Majority of the online publications use English, an advantage to foreign readers 

and those more comfortable using this language. However, although English is used in 

official transactions and by various institutions in the country, many Filipinos hardly use 

it, particularly in mundane conversations and dealings. They use Filipino or their local 

language or dialect instead. 

The specific problems identified by the study are summarized in the table below. 

Table 3.0 Summary of specific problems identified 

Content: 

� Lack of constant or regular updating of content 

� Practice of “shovelware” 

� Use of print style of writing 

� Lack of original reporting and writing on and for the Web 

� Limited number of stories or lack of news articles among small publications 

� Lack of in-depth reporting among small publications 

� Recycling or re-use of past articles among small publications 

� Use of English by most of the identified publications 

Interactive features and capabilities: 

� Focus on form rather than on interactive features 

� Newspaper-like features 

� Failure to effectively tap the interactive features and capabilities of the online 

medium 

Economic factors: 

� Low online advertisements 

� Financial problems such as lack of profit or income 

� Dependence of some publications on outside funding 

Services: 

� Lack of information about the publication or the media organization behind it 

� Lack of or limited feedback mechanisms 

� Lack of archives among some publications 



� Sporadic archiving 

Infrastructure and technology: 

� Limited and poor telecommunication infrastructure and information 

technology 

� Costly computer hardwares and softwares 

� High cost of getting Internet connection 

� Low access to the Internet and computer hardwares 

� Electric power failures in some provinces and poor Internet service 

Human factors: 

� Lack of knowledge among journalists about the nitty-gritty of online 

publishing 

� Lack of or low interest and motivation among journalists to learn more about 

online publishing 

� Lack of reporters and writers 

� Lack of staff to maintain the news sites and do technical work 

� Lack of priority by publishers 

Others: 

� Limited reach and low number of users leave many uses of the online medium 

untapped 

� Semi-weekly, weekly, and other less frequent publications not very effective 

� Reluctance among adult audiences to use the online medium 

� Lack of government support 

� Divide between information technology haves and have-nots 

Uses and Benefits 

Despite the problems and limitations discussed earlier, Philippine online news 

publishing is slowly progressing, especially in terms of its uses. The number of online 

news publications, although some had closed down, is an indication of this progress. We 

can categorize the benefits and uses of online journalism into four areas: 1) as a source of 

news and information, 2) as a communication channel, 3) as an alternative means of 

publication, and 4) as a means for other services. 

1. Source of news and information 



The coming of the online medium means a new source of news and information; 

it means that sources of news are no longer exclusive to the mainstream media. But this 

medium is not intended to, or will not oust the long-existing traditional media. Instead, it 

simply serves as an alternative to and complements these media (print, radio, and 

television) in providing news and information, at least to those with online access. 

An edge of the online medium as a content provider is that it gives readers an 

access to past issues of news publications through their archive. This saves readers from 

the burden of searching for old issues or articles at libraries or other data providers. 

Similarly, as most, if not all online news sites are accessible to anyone with access to the 

online medium, readers get news and information for free, and, equally important, they 

get them fast. 

The online medium is especially of value to the Philippines because of its millions 

of people working or living abroad. For these Filipinos, at least to those with Internet 

access, the online medium is the easiest and sometimes the only way to get news and 

information from home. 

There have been apprehensions about the impact or role of online journalism in 

the country, considering the lack of necessary infrastructures and the immense gap 

between those with Internet access and those without. However, the presence of Internet 

shops or cafes all over the country, particularly those areas with Internet access, is said to 

help fill this gap. These shops are particularly advantageous to those without Internet 

access at home because of their relatively low service cost. 

2. Communication channel 



One of the characteristics of the online medium that tell it apart from the other 

media is its being real-time. Broadcast media such as television and radio may be 

immediate, but they cannot compete with the content capacity of the online medium. 

It is also one of the media commonly accessed by young users. Thus, it enables 

news publications to reach the younger population, who are known to have more access 

to and prefer more the online medium. 

Finally, this medium helps lessen the problem of print media distribution or 

circulation because of the country’s archipelagic geography. Most media outlets are 

based in the NCR, and circulation to the provinces is hampered by transportation 

problems and constraints. The presence of news websites allows wider access not only to 

national publications, but also to province- and community-based publications. 

3. Alternative means of publication 

The online medium undoubtedly offers an alternative means of publishing. 

Especially to small publications, it offers a cheaper option and a practical alternative to 

cope with the spiraling costs of production and printing. Likewise, it allows community 

or provincial publications to be accessed and read nationally and internationally, chiefly 

benefiting community members outside the country. 

Similarly, it gives progressive and reform-oriented groups (e.g. groups of reform- 

oriented journalists) a cheap means to advocate for their causes and to provide readers 

alternative news and information, as well as analysis and discussion of issues that are not 

commonly covered by the mainstream media. 



4. Means for other services 

Besides providing news and information, some online news publications offer 

other services such as community assistance. A number of provincial news sites, for 

instance, carried a section meant to help needy community members. The Bohol 

Chronicle, for example, provided a link that featured individuals, especially children, 

needing help and asked for donations from readers. 

Certain online news publications, mostly community-based, also provided a 

forum for users, most of them Filipinos based abroad. The message boards of these 

publications, for instance, provided a space for the exchange of correspondences between 

local and overseas-based users. 

CONCLUSIONS: PROMISE AND PERILS 

The online medium seems to offer promising opportunities in the field of 

publishing and mass communication to a developing country like the Philippines, where 

most traditional media belong to a few owners. Constraints have been present though 

since the introduction of the Internet in the country. One of these is the lack of sufficient 

infrastructures and facilities needed for the country to link itself to the wired world and to 

adapt to the fast-changing ICT environment. However, this does not completely prevent 

online publications from developing and progressing. Although a number of problems 

and limitations continue to persist in Philippine online publishing, opportunities are 

slowly being tapped. The perils are there, but the promise is great. ### 



Common Internet Terms 

Chat room – a place on the Internet where you can use email for discussions with other 

people 

Domain or Internet domain – a part of the Internet that belongs to a person or 

organization where they can access email or display documents on the Internet 

Forum – a place on the Internet where people can leave messages or discuss particular 

subjects with other people at the same time 

Hyperlink – a connection that allows you to move easily between two computer 

documents or two pages on the Internet 

Hypertext markup language or HTML – a way of marking text so that it can be seen on 

the Internet 

Hypertext transfer protocol or HTTP - a set of instructions made by a computer program 

that enables your computer to connect to an Internet document 

Interactive – describes a system or computer program which is designed to involve the 

user in the exchange of information 

Internet – the large system of connected computers around the world which allows people 

to share information and communicate with each other using electronic mail or email 

Multimedia – using a combination of moving and still pictures, sound, music and words, 

especially in computers or entertainment 

Portal – a page on the Internet that people use to search the World Wide Web and that 

enables them to access useful information such as news, weather and travel, or a 

company that provides these pages 

Website – a set of pages of information on the Internet about a particular subject, which 

have been published by the same person or organization, and often contain color pictures, 

video and sound 

Web browser or Browser – a computer program that enables you to read information on 

the Internet 

World Wide Web – the system of connected documents on the Internet, which often 

contain color pictures, video and sound, and can be searched for information about a 

particular subject 

Source: Definitions lifted verbatim from Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 

Website: http://dictionary.cambridge.org 



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http://www.yehey.com

PHILIPPINE ONLINE JOURNALISM: - AMIC

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