Framing and Sourcing of Science in Philippine Newspapers from 2017 to 2019

Abstract

Science journalism can be challenging in societies with an emerging science culture such as the Philippines. In addition, the demands of the interest-based and taste-driven field of journalism can clash with the rigorous and technical nature of science. Science reporters must balance readability, comprehensiveness, and urgency of science stories to maintain high news quality. This study examines the coverage of science by Philippine newspapers and investigates the link of framing and sourcing to science news quality. Content analysis was performed on 394 news articles published from 2017 to 2019 and article characteristics, framing, sourcing, and news quality were coded during data collection. Results show that science reports in mainstream print media were understandable, relatable, contextualized, and explained thoroughly. However, there is much to improve on framing and sourcing of science news by Philippine print journalists, especially since these variables have been found to be significantly correlated with news quality.