Regional News Writing in the Digital Age: A Narrative Inquiry into the Practices of Filipino Journalists in Western Visayas

Abstract

The world of journalism is constantly evolving alongside social reality to where it belongs. Thus, it is vital to understand the experiences of journalists in news writing and narrate their practices as they catch up with the increasing demands of the public. Through this study, media practitioners and educators can understand the current practices of Filipino journalists and the influences in news writing in Western Visayas. Nine local journalists participated in an online in-depth interview resulting to the discussion of (1) journalistic practices in the new media, (2) practices that implicate objectivity in news writing, (3) assessment of the hierarchy of influence model in the news writing process, and (4) news writing framework. Results showed that the news writing process has evolved because of the emergence of new media. Technology and mobile devices revolutionized the news writing process, which involves gathering, writing, and selecting news content. Moreover, this study concludes that the emergence of new media considerably impacted objectivity in news writing and has a significant influence in the practices of multimedia journalists.