Philippine media is at a crossroads — and it’s impacting journalists

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

Very few things trouble veteran journalist Froilan Gallardo.

Gallardo hails from Cagayan de Oro, and has long been covering wars in Mindanao. Covering conflict on the ground doesn’t scare him, he told Rappler. It’s all part of the job, and he thrives on the adrenaline that journalism gives him. When the emotional toll of war reporting becomes difficult to bear, he seeks help from professionals who can provide him a safe space.

But today, Gallardo worries about money, his expenses, and how sustainable journalism is.

“Times are different, and they spell the difference between the journalism of yesteryears and journalism now…. The cost of transportation, the cost of getting the stories, the cost of equipment. With the cost of living alone, you’re done for,” he said.

Low salaries, subpar working conditions, and finding the resources to tell stories have long posed problems for the Philippine press. With a dwindling economy and a new information ecosystem, journalism today is struggling to find the support it needs to survive.

The financial burden, and today’s cost of living

Gallardo has been a journalist for 37 years. He said freelancing in the ’90s was great — he was hired as a stringer for various international media outlets, and food, rent, and clothing were cheap. While he said he wasn’t rich, he said he was a “free spirit.” 

However, today’s cost of living — with high inflation and stagnant real minimum wage rates — poses problems for the media.

“[Pay] rates are low, and inflation is so high. Before, I could earn about P12,000 a month, and I would be living comfortably. But now, P12,000 is nothing,” he said.

FROM THE WAR ZONE. Veteran journalist Froilan Gallardo (front) reporting from Marawi City in 2017. Photo from Froilan Gallardo

On average, journalists in the country earn very little. A 2021 survey by the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP) found that 44% of respondents receive a monthly salary of P15,000 and below. 15% of respondents, most of whom are based in the provinces, earn P5,000 and below. Half of the respondents said they were not entitled to holiday pay, hazard pay, and insurance for dangerous or out-of-town assignments. Overtime pay is also not given to 55% of respondents.

On top of that, media organizations may be forced to shut down and lay off employees if their financial losses pile up. Freelance journalists have to worry about the possibility of not having work for the coming week or month, and not having a newsroom to protect them if something dangerous happens to them in the field.

While Gallardo said his decision to stay in journalism is “not about the money,” he acknowledged that he was in a position of privilege, as he is unmarried and lives a simple life. However, he currently takes care of his ailing mother, so his major regular expenses include her food, her medicine, and her nurse’s pay.

“I’m lucky I chose to be unmarried. My other former colleagues who are married had a hard time [sustaining themselves]. Most of them just retired [from journalism], or went on to become government employees…. I’m lucky I don’t have a family, except for my mother,” he said.

Gallardo also recognized his privilege as a well-connected veteran journalist, as he has years of experience under his belt and contacts who can provide him with reporting grants if necessary. He said today’s economic situation may be more difficult for young journalists who haven’t already made a name for themselves in an industry that doesn’t pay well.

“Now, imagine a young journalist who went to school to study journalism for four years, and then imagine they only earn P9,000 a month…. That’s why we lose. We are losing good, talented, young journalists,” he said.

What the journalism industry is losing

Because journalism is often challenging and thankless, many journalists have left the industry for greener pastures — even if they were difficult decisions to make.

Nick Villavecer admitted that he was “constantly worried about [his] future” when he was working in journalism. After working for a local newspaper in his hometown, he spent five years working for the broadcasting giant ABS-CBN, until he lost his job in 2020 following the network’s shutdown. 

He then briefly worked as a multimedia producer for Rappler, which, like ABS-CBN, also faced its own challenges and legal battles under the Duterte administration. These kept Villavecer on his toes, and worried about job security.

“In my mind: If something unimaginable like shutting down the largest TV network in the Philippines happened under the former administration, that could happen to Rappler, too,” he said.

After what he called “years of navigating an industry full of uncertainty,” Villavecer decided to transition to corporate communications. He admitted the financial stability and benefits made the job more attractive, but what ultimately sold him was “the chance to keep telling stories — just in a different tone and format.”

“The [media] landscape made me realize that while I loved journalism, I needed to prioritize stability for my own peace of mind,” Villavecer said.

IN THE NEWSROOM. Nick Villavecer with CEO Maria Ressa in the Rappler newsroom in November 2020. Photo from Nick Villavecer

Patrick Quintos, another ex-journalist, made the decision to leave the industry after seven years largely due to burnout. He spent about two years working for DZRH before he, like Villavecer, transferred to ABS-CBN. At ABS-CBN, he was first tasked to do social media work, and then he shifted to writing stories for their “lean and mean” digital arm up until his last coverage in early 2019.

“The job requires more than the usual 8-to-5. It even takes your weekends, if something happens. And it requires a lot of study, because you don’t know every issue by heart…. Given the wrong working conditions, it burns you out,” Quintos explained.

Quintos now works for a business-to-business (B2B) marketing company. Outside work, he has more time for hobbies, like reading books or playing games. A better work-life balance helped him get more sleep and maintain a healthier lifestyle. He still keeps himself updated with the news, and said the “habits never left [him].” Until today, he still deals with the grief of wanting to write stories.

“If the best working conditions were available, I’d still work in the news. My heart is in the news,” he said.

ON THE FIELD. Patrick Quintos during fieldwork for ABS-CBN following the Marawi siege in 2017. Photo from Patrick Quintos

Current and former journalists alike acknowledged that these are symptoms of a larger problem in the industry. 

Quintos witnessed how news organizations had to work extra hard to reach online audiences and figure out social media algorithms designed by Big Tech. 

Villavecer talked about how disinformation and attacks against journalists exacerbate the state of press freedom in the Philippines. 

Gallardo said he can no longer sell stories to various international outlets the way he used to before the internet.

All this is affecting journalists not just in the Philippines, but worldwide as well. Media outlets in other countries have had to close shop or file for bankruptcy, laying off hundreds of media workers.

“The media landscape has changed. I cannot blame [certain news outlets for what they pay]…. They can afford only that much. You might want the industry to pay more, but the industry has been reeling from these losses,” Gallardo explained.

How the media survives

There are many ways a media organization can earn money. Mainstream media outlets typically have a staff dedicated to advertising and branded content. 

Melinda Quintos de Jesus, executive director of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, stressed the importance of having a “firewall” between the advertising and editorial teams, so as to preserve the integrity of a newsroom’s reporting.

Meanwhile, De Jesus said the community press and alternative media have always been viewed as advocacy work and are “funded randomly.” 

“[Community journalists] don’t look at it as a business to begin with, and then they realize it has to be a business if they want to sustain it,” she explained.

Lucelle Bonzo, executive director of Davao Today, said the most challenging part of working in alternative media is “balancing advocacy-driven journalism with financial sustainability.” She also said Davao Today faces a “continued battle for resources,” running on minimal finances and a lean staff.

“We assert the importance of stories that empower the communities, expose injustices, and start discourse, even if those are not precisely the things that draw mass readers or advertisers. This commitment sometimes means looking toward alternative funding models that align with our mission,” she said.

Bonzo said Davao Today has “diversified [their] sources of income,” which includes seeking grants, holding workshops and trainings for journalism students, and partnering with various advocacy groups.

It’s also common for journalists to take on extra work on the side. For instance, journalists may teach at a university or do research for a professor. But De Jesus warned against taking on commercial work or other jobs that could compromise a journalist’s independent reporting and “strong moral grid.”

De Jesus also encouraged newsrooms to put out calls for readers to support and pay for their reporting, so readers will recognize the value in journalism’s mission to foster a well-informed community. Rappler has its Rappler+ program where readers can support our journalism.

Rappler also asks readers to register for free to read stories and help sustain our operations. This allows our newsroom to directly reach our audience outside of social media platforms, which have been choking the reach of news sites.

What’s next for journalism

De Jesus said news outlets today are facing an “existential challenge.” The media industry has to reinvent itself to become relevant and valuable to the public, who are navigating a fragmented information landscape where social media noise drowns out the news.

“It’s a crisis situation, and crisis situations affect negatively your situation as workers. Journalists are in trouble because their only function is now in question, in terms of its value in the landscape of communication in which it operates,” she said.

Quintos said he has hope for the next generation, who might find a way to reimagine journalism in the digital age.

“I think we’re still operating on the framework that assumes people read and search for news…. People stumble upon news, on current platforms. Maybe these kids who grew up on digital news consumption habits can think of the best way to deliver information to an audience,” he explained.

While Villavecer agreed that newsrooms need to innovate to survive, he also called on readers to support media workers who need resources to produce the news.

“That work costs money, and newsrooms need to stay afloat to keep delivering the truth…. ​​If you want a society that’s informed and empowered, then we need to invest in the people working tirelessly to get the facts right,” he said.

Bonzo admitted the pressure to sustain a news organization, especially for an alternative local outlet like Davao Today, can impact journalists’ morale and well-being. But she goes back to the communities she serves and the issues she reports on. She understands that without independent media, many of these stories would go unreported — and she draws her strength from the people she works for and with.

“Despite the challenges, the trust and support we receive from the communities we serve remind me why I started this journey and why I need to continue,” she said. – Rappler.com

*Quotes in Filipino were translated into English and some were shortened for brevity.