ATTN: A MASS MEDIA BOYCOTT by Pro-Duterte forces may result in the CLOSURE or BANKRUPTCY of the Philippine Daily Inquirer #Duterte2016 #MediaBias #BoycottPDI #BoycottPhilippineStar #DeLima #WarOnDrugs

PHOTO: US financial report, Philippine values will differ in terms of amount but the graph would reflect the same massive decline

The recent 2016 Presidential elections were not very good for the mainstream mass media. Printed newspapers (Philippine Daily Inquirer and Philippine Star) and the radio-television giants ABS-CBN and GMA7 were all accused of MEDIA BIAS in FAVOR of the Administration candidate Mar Roxas as well as NEGATIVE COVERAGE of Mayor Rody Duterte. Traditionally the Philippine Presidency was won on the basis of the amount of money poured into the coffers of the MEDIA MOGULS who ensured electoral victory. Then came cash-strapped Duterte who had to rely on SOCIAL MEDIA mainly due to his dire financial straits. Fortunately for Duterte, fewer voters were/are reading printed newspapers nowadays. The ubiquitous broadsheets, radio and TV news programs kept dishing press releases about the “INEVITABLE VICTORY” of Mar Roxas at the same time that BLACK PROPAGANDA was spread against upstart Digong. Major bones of contention focused on POPULARITY SURVEYS and the coverage of CAMPAIGN SORTIES. Duterte supporters claimed that paid surveys CONSISTENTLY and PERSISTENTLY  gave their candidate LOW RATINGS allegedly because opposing candidates PAID for those surveys. The belief then was that SURVEYS prepared or CONDITIONED the minds of the population for an Administration victory which would have made cheating more palatable and acceptable once Mar Roxas was declared the winner. After the landslide election victory, die-hard Duterte people still believe that CHEATING was attempted by the Aquino Administration (through Comelec) except that it was not enough to prevent a Duterte win.

Phenomenally huge CROWD SHOTS of the Duterte campaign trail seldom found their way into traditional mass media front pages or TV prime time news. On the other hand the Internet was PLASTERED all over the place with photos of Duterte crowds in the HUNDREDS of  THOUSANDS. It was not difficult to conclude that Facebook, Twitter and Instagram soon became the MORE CREDIBLE SOURCES in knowing the number of the participants in the campaign rallies. A BANDWAGON EFFECT was generated and the rest, as the saying goes, is history.

Today, post-Presidential elections, the same four aforementioned media outfits are again the focus of complaints in terms of the treatment of Duterte stories. There have been on-and-off calls for a traditional mass media BOYCOTT. In fact, President Duterte, at one point, did not allow mass media coverage (except for the government stations) for his press conferences.

Assuming that the financial woes of the printed newspapers DID NOT START with the 2016 Presidential election, there have been declining paid circulation and ad revenues. Readership is DOWN and may NEVER RECOVER  because news can now be sourced online and through mobile devices. In other words, both Philippine Daily Inquirer and Philippine Star could CLOSE down without any help from the Pro-Duterte camp. However, the DUTERTE FACTOR could be the FINAL NAIL in the Inquirer and Star COFFIN.  Based on our financial analysis of both the PDI and Philippine Star corporate structures, distribution networks, ad revenues, subscription rates, costs of production and broadsheet selling prices (of individual copies), we have come to the conclusion that Inquirer is in a more PRECARIOUS and VULNERABLE SITUATION that may not be able to weather a BOYCOTT storm.