Media in the Philippines

In 2004, the Philippines had 225 television stations, 369 AM radio broadcast stations, 583 FM radio broadcast stations, 10 internet radio stations, 5 shortwave stations and 7 million newspapers in circulation.

Some media outlets, such as IBC (television) and the Philippine Broadcasting Service (radio), are government-run. Most outlets are privately owned.

The most widely read newspapers are the Manila Bulletin, The Philippine Star, Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Manila Times, and BusinessWorld.

Much media ownership is concentrated in the hands of prominent families and businesses. Consequently, some reports tend to be one-sided presentations favoring special interests. The privately owned press also tends toward sensationalism at times.

The Office of the President is responsible for managing the government’s policy toward the press. Freedom of speech and freedom of the press are enshrined in the 1987 constitution. Although independent observers credit the government with respecting freedom of the press in general, the government has been criticized for failing to investigate thoroughly summary killings of journalists and for subjecting journalists to harassment and surveillance.

The fifth annual Worldwide Press Freedom Index released by the international press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has ranked the Philippines among the worst-ranked countries for 2006 at 142nd place. It indicates the continuing murders of journalists and increased legal harassment in the form of libel suits as part of the problem in the Philippines. Between 1986 and 2005, 52 journalists have been murdered.

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