Globalization on Media: Implications to Women Television Journalists in the Philippines

Abstract

This feminist qualitative research aimed to discover the implications of the globalization of media to women Television journalists in the Philippines. This study used a critical historical approach, and in-depth interviews to generate data from nine women Television journalists and four women news executives from the three leading television stations in the Philippines. I am seeking to understand the salient actions, beliefs, attitudes of women Television journalists and women news executives and how are they influenced by the globalization of media.

The theoretical perspectives of critical tradition focusing on feminist theory, agenda-setting theory, muted group theory and grounded theory were adopted as the theoretical framework in this study.

The findings as they relate to the study’s research questions indicated that although the women Television journalists in the Philippines made a significant inroad to successful professional socialization and able to withstand the stereotypes and discrimination in the newsroom, they were forced, however, to operate in an environment fraught with various constraints.

My study found little evidence for tangible sexism of the kind that would be grounds for legal action, but my findings suggest that sexist attitudes somehow persist. True, women acquire equity with men at the highest level of management but the interview with women news executives reveal that news production, in its very essence, is professional and non-gender specific – or to put it more bluntly: ‘news is news, and it doesn’t involve gender’. It also emerged in the study that the ICT has created a neutral entry point and empowered women Television journalists in the Philippines. Moreover, globalization of media brought positive implications to women Television journalists. Additionally, the changing context in which the broadcast media are operating today is creating an environment for women Television journalists to shape mediated globalization.

The experiences shared by the women Television journalists in the in-depth interviews point toward women’s relentless efforts to engender the public sphere and promote a culture of equality celebrating partnership instead of hierarchical gender relations.