CHAPTER I

Problem and Its Setting

Introduction

Environment is sum total of water, air and land with relations with one

another. It is also consist of human beings and other life forms. Environment is

what surrounds us and its affects everything with life.

With the continuing modernization of human life it also cause more

environmental problems. All around there are urban excess, deforestation,

overfishing, global warming, air pollution and limited safe water supplies.

The Philippines recently reach its 100 million population, with the growing

trend there is a big possibility of rising more environmental problem.

Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest of tropical cyclones ever recorded, which

devastated areas in Southeast Asia, recorded a number of more than 6,000 deaths

in the parts of Visayas. A large number of these were especially from Tacloban

City. Numerous cases of natural disasters like these were occurring to date. People

have no control of when these calamities will hit a certain area of any country.

The only way people to date can do is to keep informed with the recent

news and alerts with regards to the upcoming possible disasters through the use of

Mass Media. Mass media, specifically the electronic media has a big role in helping

its users be informed and updated. Given Typhoon Haiyan as an example, the mass

media during the calamity took risks in giving people updates and on-hand reports

to its viewers and readers. Scanlon (1985), Kreps (1980), and a number if

observers, have noted the important positive role that, the media can perform in a
number of throughout the disaster period, from the Pre-disaster management to

the Aftermath of a calamity (Dennis Wenger, 1985).

This is where environmental reporting comes. Environmental journalists

tackle problems concerning the environment. They raise public awareness and

make people engage with the discussion.

Specifically, Bulacan is one of the provinces in the Philippines that faces a

number of environmental problems, and becomes a potent source of stories for the

reporters from community newspapers. Along the occurrence of environmental

problems, the environmental reports plague the community papers, aiming to

reach and inform the citizens about the scoop (Corbillon, Et al, 2013).

The researchers choose this topic to know the capability of local journalist

on covering and reporting environmental news. In addition, the study will focused

on the journalist skills in data gathering and knowledge about the issues in the

environment, particularly in the province of Bulacan.

II. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The main purpose of this study is to analyze the performance of selected

local journalists in Bulacan on environmental reporting.

Specifically, it will seek to answer the following questions:

1. How is the demographic profile of respondents be derived in terms of:

a. age;

b. sex;

c. educational attainment;

d. months/years in the field?

 2. How does the performance of selected local journalists be described?

3. Is there a need for environmental trainings for local Journalists in Bulacan?

4. Does local journalists perform their job in informing the public about

environmental issues?

III. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Upon completion, it will be of importance to the following:

LOCAL JOUNALISTS. In conducting a coverage during a natural disaster, journalists-

on-field can understand and learn more from this research through suggested

styles and do’s and don’ts in covering natural calamities. This study might help

them broaden their capability in gathering data as well.

JOURNALISM STUDENTS. This study will help them nourish their knowledge in the

field of environmental reporting. The knowledge collected to this study can lead

them to a wider range of journalism and in performing while on the field.

FACULTY OF THE COLLEGE OF ARTS & LETTERS. This study may help them provide more

seminars on environmental reporting, in order to help their students become more

knowledgeable and equipped on the said field.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF BULACAN. This research may help them in terms of

environmental awareness in the province so that they can come up with programs

that will help the community before, during and after an environmental crisis

UNIVERSITIES. Schools and universities offering journalism course can create and

formulate a specific teaching technique which they can apply to increase the
competency of their college and journalism instructors, particularly in

environmental reporting subject, among others.

IV. Scope and Delimitation

This study will cover ten (10) selected local journalist in Bulacan with at

least one year experience in the line of duty. In addition, this study will determine

the skills of the participants in covering, writing and reporting environmental

issues particularly in the province area.

This study will be limited to the journalist outside the province. Lastly, this

study will only takes place in the province of Bulacan. The researchers will survey

and sought information to the experts in environmental reporting.

Awards in Environmental Journalism

National Level

• The Australian museum Eureka Prize rewards excellence in four categories:

research and innovation, science leadership, school science, as well as
science journalism and communication. It is Australia’s largest award scheme
for research into critical environmental and sustainability issues facing the
country and generates publicity throughout Australia.

• China’s first Environmental Press Award was jointly organized by The

Guardian, China Dialogue and Sina, China’s biggest web portal, in 2009, and
held its first ceremony in 2010. Categories are in-depth reporting, best
investigative reporting, most influential reporting and the best human
interest story.

Regional level

• The Siemens Green Technology Journalism Award honours journalists for their
reporting on green technology, sustainability and environmental issues, in
the ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) region. The competition
aims to develop an environmental conscience and to raise awareness of
problems the region is, and will be, facing, such as climate change, flooding,
declining biodiversity etc. The award system is divided into main groups.

Professional journalists can submit their work in three categories: energy

efficiency, industrial productivity and sustainability. Young journalists must
still be studying in universities and polytechnics in the ASEAN region and can
submit their work in the same categories.
 • The Green Pen Awardis a competition for journalists from around the world
working in any kind of media, the environment, United Nations, government
agencies and NGOs. The award is sponsored by the APFEJ and is presented at
their annual world conference.

• The Greenbelt Reports are a series of 12 x 5 minute reports filmed in India,

Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. They are produced in consultation with a
large number of local, national and regional conservation organizations and
research institutes. Among them are IUCN Asia, the UNEP regional office for
Asia and the Pacific, Mangrove Action Project and Wetlands International.

• Launched by the Asian Development Bank to award a significant contribution

in journalism toward development in Asia, the Developing Asia Journalism
Awards(DAJA) focus on four themes: urbanization, environmental issues,
rebalancing economic growth as well as regional cooperation and
integration. Special focus is placed on the impact of these issues on the poor
of the region, to help accomplish real Asia-wide improvements.

International level

• Each year, the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) honours outstanding

environmental coverage in six different categories, during its annual
conference. The Kevin Carmody Award for Outstanding In-depth Reporting (large
market) and the Kevin Carmody Award for Outstanding In-depth Reporting (small
market) both honour investigative, explanatory features, or a series on a
single environmental topic, but in different sized markets where the news is
published.

The outstanding beat Reporting (large and small markets) honour journalists
with up to five broadcasts or published reports on one or more
environmental topics in different market sizes.

• The Rachel Carson Environment book Award honours a non-fiction book

covering an environmental topic. The last category, Outstanding Single Story,
honours an environmental news story within 30 days of a news event or
development.46
• The Complus media Awards by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation
of Nature) and the Reuters Foundation, honour and recognize excellence in
professional reporting on environment and sustainable development. The
global winner is selected from six regional winners representing Asia,
English-speaking Africa, French-speaking Africa, Europe, Latin America and
North America and Oceania. The objective of the award is to promote the
quality of environmental journalism worldwide. It explicitly states that no
political motives are involved.47

• The Panda Awards are the leading and most influential awards for film of the
natural world. Nicknamed the Green Oscars, they are awarded at the Global
Wildlife & Environmental Film Festival. Although most of the categories do
not concern media journalism, two of them might be interesting for specific
groups of environmental journalism.

• The natural history museum Environment Award honours programs that

highlight issues concerning the environment, conservation or sustainable
development, and illustrates the need to protect the natural world. The
Wildscreen’s Award to promote filmmakers from developing countries, takes
entries from countries designated as low or lower-middle income by the
World Bank. They aim to support and encourage local film makers.
 THEORY

Media Richness Theory

• a medium fits with a task
History and Orientation
• Media richness theory is based on contingency theory and information processing
theory (Galbraith 1977). First proponents of the theory were made by Daft &Lengel
(1984).
Core Assumptions and Statements
• Core: Researchers Daft, Lengel and successors propose that communication media
have varying capacities for resolving ambiguity, negotiating varying interpretations,
and facilitating understanding.
• Two main assumptions of this theory are: people want to overcome equivocality and
uncertainty in organizations and a variety of media commonly used in organizations
work better for certain tasks than others. Using four criteria, Daft and Lengel present
a media richness hierarchy, arranged from high to low degrees of richness, to
illustrate the capacity of media types to process ambiguous communication in
organizations. The criteria are (a) the availability of instant feedback; (b) the capacity
of the medium to transmit multiple cues such as body language, voice tone, and
inflection; (c) the use of natural language; and (d) the personal focus of the medium.
Face-to-face communication is the richest communication medium in the hierarchy
followed by telephone, electronic mail, letter, note, memo, special report, and
finally, flier and bulletin. From a strategic management perspective, the media
richness theory suggests that effective managers make rational choices matching a
 particular communication medium to a specific task or objective and to the degree of
richness required by that task (Trevino, Daft, &Lengel, 1990, in Soy, 2001).

Conceptual Model

Agenda Setting Theory

• the creation of what the public thinks is important

History and Orientation

• Agenda setting describes a very powerful influence of the media – the ability to
tell us what issues are important. As far back as 1922, the newspaper columnist
Walter Lippman was concerned that the media had the power to present images
to the public. McCombs and Shaw investigated presidential campaigns in 1968,
1972 and 1976. In the research done in 1968 they focused on two elements:
awareness and information. Investigating the agenda-setting function of the
mass media, they attempted to assess the relationship between what voters in
one community said were important issues and the actual content of the media
messages used during the campaign. McCombs and Shaw concluded that the
 mass media exerted a significant influence on what voters considered to be the
major issues of the campaign.
 
Core Assumptions and Statements
• Core: Agenda-setting is the creation of public awareness and concern of salient
issues by the news media. Two basis assumptions underlie most research on
agenda-setting: (1) the press and the media do not reflect reality; they filter and
shape it; (2) media concentration on a few issues and subjects leads the public to
perceive those issues as more important than other issues. One of the most
critical aspects in the concept of an agenda-setting role of mass communication
is the time frame for this phenomenon. In addition, different media have
different agenda-setting potential. Agenda-setting theory seems quite
appropriate to help us understand the pervasive role of the media (for example
on political communication systems).
• Statement: Bernard Cohen (1963) stated: “The press may not be successful much
of the time in telling people what to think, but it is stunningly successful in telling
its readers what to think about.”
 
Conceptual Model

Does local journalist do their job in informing the public about environmental

V. DEFINITION OF TERMS

AFTERMATH - the consequences or after-effects of a significant unpleasant

event

AIR POLLUTION - the introduction of particulates, biological molecules, or other

harmful materials into the Earth's atmosphere, possibly causing disease, death to
humans, damage to other living organisms such as food crops, or the natural or built

environment.

DEFORESTATION - refers to the cutting, clearing, and removal of rainforest or related

ecosystems into less bio-diverse ecosystems such as pasture, cropland, or plantations

ENVIRONMENT - the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives

or operates

ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISTS - journalists that specializes in reporting about the

environment

GLOBAL WARMING - a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's

atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels

of carbon dioxide, CFCs, and other pollutants.

MASS MEDIA - the means of communication that reach large numbers of people in a

short time such as television, newspapers, magazines, and radio

ON-HAND REPORTS - reports that was acquired through personal observations.

OVERFISHING - deplete the stock of fish in a body of water by excessive fishing

TYPHOON HAIYAN - one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded, which

devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines, on November 8,

2013

URBAN EXCESS - excessive urbanization of an area which leads to the destruction of a

balanced environment