BIBLIOGRAPHY ADAMAG, ANALYN G. APRIL 2011....
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ADAMAG, ANALYN G. APRIL 2011. The Rise of Community Cyber Jounalism:
Preffered Online Publication of Internet Browsers in La Trinidad, Benguet. Benguet State
University, La Trinidad, Benguet.
Adviser: Filmore Y. Awas, MDevCom
ABSTRACT
The study was conducted to get the profile of the different online community
newspaper available in the community; characterize the users of these online newspapers;
identify the respondents’ preferred online newspaper; determine the respondents attitudes
towards online newspaper; identify the respondents’ perceptions towards online
newspaper; identify the problems regarding the utilization of these online sites, and
solicit suggestions of the respondents for the improvement of the identified sites.
There were 100 respondents who were purposively selected from La Trinidad.
The study was conducted on December 2010 to February 2011.
Findings showed that out of the 14 community newspapers circulating Baguio
City and Benguet during the study, eight of them had their online newspaper. However,
three of the said publications stopped their online version of their newspaper.
Majority of the respondents were female and all of them attended formal
education. Most of the respondents also browsed the online newspaper of Baguio Midlan
Courier.
Results showed that all of the respondents were in favour in the use of online
newspapers. All of them also recommended the continuity of online newspapers.
The identified advantages of online newspapers is it was cheaper compared to the
printed copy and it offered the same services as the printed copy; it archived articles for
viewing now or later; it allowed the readers to comment on certain issues especially those
sites with RSS Feed. Meanwhile, the identified disadvantages on the use of the online
newspaper are time-consuming; not appropriate medium in areas where internet access is
not available; not applicable in remote areas with no electricity and those who are
computer illiterate, and not applicable in times of power interruption.
The study recommends the continuity of the local newspapers in utilizing the
internet through its online sites in disseminating information to its intended readers. The
online sites should also consider improving some of its features to meet the preference of
its intended audience.
Zigzag Weekly may also consider improving some of its online features like
including an archive section, search box, and implementing RSS Feed. These features
were considered important for easy browsing. These online newspapers may also
consider hiring web developers to address the issues or problems on its web features,
layout and design.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Rationale of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Statement of the Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Objectives of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Importance of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Scope and Limitation of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
REVIEW OF LITERATURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Online Journalism Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
History of Online Journalism
in the Philippines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Online Journalism vs. Traditional
Journalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Criteria for Evaluating Websites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Definition of Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
METHODOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Locale and Time of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Respondents of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
iii
Data Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Data Gathered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Data Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
RESULTS AND DISCUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Profile of the Online Newspaper
Available in the Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Socio-demographic Profile
of the Respondents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Online Newspaper Preference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Respondents’ Reasons for Reading
Online Newspaper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Attitudes of Respondents Towards
Online Newspaper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Respondents’ Perception Towards
the Use of Online Newspaper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Problems Encountered by
Respondents in Reading
Local Online Newspaper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Suggestions for the Improvement
of the Online Newspaper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
LITERATURE CITED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
APPENDIX
A. Survey Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
B. Guide Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
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Page
LIST OF TABLES
Table No.
1
Features of the online newspapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2
Profile of the five local online
community newspapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3
Socio-demographic profile
of the respondents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
4
Place of access to the online
newspapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
5
Respondents’ frequency in browsing
and reading online newspapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
6
Length of time readers browse
and read the online newspaper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
7
Online newspaper which the
respondents prefer to browse most . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
8
Respondents’ reasons for
preferring online sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
9
Respondents’ reasons for
browsing the online sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
10
Problems encountered by
respondents when browsing
online newspaper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
11
Suggestions of respondents for
each online newspaper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
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INTRODUCTION
Rationale
Newspapers, dating back in the 17th century, are the primary medium in which
people learn on current events about everything from economic conditions and wars,
weather conditions and discoveries, to human-interest stories and entertainment.
Today, with the popularity and widespread use of the internet, newspapers and
other printed media are gradually being overshadowed by the accessibility of vast
information from online sources. With this trend, newspaper companies worldwide are
increasingly adapting online means of delivering news to the public; thus, the birth of
online journalism. This has changed the landscape of journalism practice worldwide.
Online journalism breaks the physical restrictions present in print media and
opens new capabilities and advantages, such as multimedia presentation and interactivity.
As Ward (2002) noted, switching to online publishing enables articles and news to be
archived-allowing extensive research.
To go with the trend, newspaper companies in the Philippines have already
adapted online journalism as a component of their services such as the Philippine Daily
Inquirer, Manila Bulletin, Philippine Star among others. Local publications are also
establishing their own online sites like Baguio Midland Courier, Sun Star- Baguio,
Nordis Weekly, Zigazag weekly among others.
With the gradual declining use of traditional journalism and adaptation of online
journalism, the future journalism is beginning to shift towards digitalization.
The Rise of Community Cyber Jounalism: Preffered Online Publication of Internet
Browsers in La Trinidad, Benguet / ANALYN G. ADAMAG. 2011
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According to Camburn (2009), many persons are becoming aware of the
versatility of the internet and the ways in which they can gain access to media of their
own choice, at any given time, or any given day. People realized that they can update
themselves of the happenings in their areas, and surrounding areas as well as the world
through the internet.
In addition, Camburn (2009) also noted that online journalism was proven to be
cost- effective and alternative way to reach their targeted audience, and more, because
even when you are surfing on the web, you come across tidbits of information on blogs
you would normally view, then if and you decide to expand on it, or read more about a
particular topic, you click on a link to a several news sites
With these developments in journalism, the need to check the preferences of the
audience regarding the services of online journalism sites is of importance. As Arao
(2006) stressed, there is a need for online journalism sites to meet the preference of their
audience and to deliver appropriate information to these “cyber people”. He also added
that online journalism should take note of the problems besetting the design and layout of
websites as form tends to overshadow the content.
The study is generally established to get the profile of the different local online
community newspaper; characterize the users of these online newspapers, determine the
respondents preferred online newspaper; determine the respondents’ attitudes towards
online newspapers, identify the problems regarding the utilization of these online sites,
and solicits suggestions of the respondents for the improvement of the identified sites.
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Statement of the Problem
The study was conducted to answer the following questions:
1.
What is the profile of the different online community newspaper available
in the community?
2.
What is the socio-demographic profile of the respondents?
3.
What online community newspaper do the respondents prefer to browse
most?
4.
What are the respondents’ attitudes towards online newspaper?
5.
What are the respondents’ perceptions towards online newspaper?
6.
What are the problems regarding the utilization of these online sites?
7.
What are the respondents suggestions for the improvement of the
identified sites?
Objectives of the study
The study aims to:
1.
get the profile of the different online community newspaper available in
the community;
2.
characterize the users of these online newspapers;
3.
identify the respondents’ preferred online newspaper;
4.
determine the respondents’ attitudes towards online newspaper;
5.
determine the respondents’ perceptions towards online newspaper;
6.
identify the problems regarding the utilization of these online sites, and
The Rise of Community Cyber Jounalism: Preffered Online Publication of Internet
Browsers in La Trinidad, Benguet / ANALYN G. ADAMAG. 2011
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7.
solicit suggestions of the respondents for the improvement of the
identified sites.
Importance of the Study
The results of the study may be significant to the administrators of the different
publications in maintaining, improving or redevelopment of their sites. It will provide
insights to the administrators of the publications on whether the information or articles
published in the site meet the needs of its intended audience.
The study will also encourage the publications to redevelop their online papers for
the convenience of the readers. This can also be used by other Development
Communication students and other researches as a basis for formulating the same scope
of the study.
Scope and Limitations of the study
The study focused on the five online community newspapers being read by the
respondents here in La Trinidad.
The data gathered include the profile of the five online community newspaper; the
socio-demographic profile of the respondents, the respondents preferred online
newspaper; the respondents’ attitudes towards online newspapers, the problems regarding
the utilization of these online sites, and the suggestions of the respondents for the
improvement of the identified sites.
The study did not cover the readers abroad, did not evaluate the specific content
of each online newspaper and it did not include the information need that the respondents
would like to have in each online newspaper.
The Rise of Community Cyber Jounalism: Preffered Online Publication of Internet
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REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Online Journalism Overview
Online journalism is categorized as reporting, producing and distributing facts and
information through the internet. According to Camburn (2009), online journalism, for
the most part, has seen changes not common for many industries such as: it has been
revolutionized by the advent of the internet, blogs, and forums. She also noted that many
persons are becoming aware of the versatility of the internet and the ways in which they
can gain access to media of their choice, at any given time, or any given day. People also
realized that they can update themselves of happenings in their areas, and surrounding
areas as well as the world through the internet.
Moreover, many media houses have welcomed the introduction of online
journalism. They became aware that it plays a huge role in revolutionizing the
information reported by the media, and the ways in which it is reported, when it is
reported, how it is reported, and to whom it is reported.
History of Online Journalism in the Philippines
According to Arao (2006), online journalism is relatively new since Filipinos
were introduced to the Web only in 1995. Thus, problems besetting the design and lay
out of websites as form tends to overshadow the content. This situation can be rooted to
the lack or even absence of knowledge in the principles of design and lay out. He also
noted that websites have grown in numbers mainly as a result of the three factors: (1)
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introduction of what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) web authoring programs; (2)
better and more varied Internet access; and (3) ubiquity of blogging.
In addition, Alecks Pabico a pioneer in the art and science of multimedia
journalism in the Philippines helped set up the PCIJ’s website, which hosted the nation’s
first journalism group blog and later podcast the “Hello Garci” tapes of President Gloria
Macapagal Arroyo talking to various officials about manipulating the 2004 elections
(GMANews.TV).
Online Journalism versus Traditional Journalism
Online journalism as compared to traditional journalism has its own advantages.
Acccording to Millison (2004), online journalism can be published in real time, updating
breaking news and events as they happen. He also noted that it takes advantage of the
shifted time. Online publications can publish and archive articles for viewing now or
later, just as print, film, or broadcast publications can however WWW articles can be
infinitely easier to access.
According also to him, online journalism is interactive. Hyperlinks represent the
primary mechanism for this interactivity on the Web, linking the various elements of a
lengthy, complex work, introducing multiple points of view, and adding depth and detail.
A work of online journalism can consist of a hyperlinked set of web pages; these pages
can themselves include hyperlinks to other web sites. Comparing to traditional
journalism, it guides the readers through a linear narrative. Narrative momentum and a
strong editorial voice pull a reader through a linear narrative.
The Rise of Community Cyber Jounalism: Preffered Online Publication of Internet
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In addition, according to Camburn (2009), online journalism was proven to be a
cost- effective and alternative way to reach their targeted audience, and more, because
even when you are surfing on the web, you come across tidbits of information on blogs
you would normally views, then if and you decide to expand on it, or read more about a
particular topic, you click on a link which leads to a several news sites. She also noted
that online journalism has proven to less expensive, while targeting a larger audience.
According to Aloha Online as cited by Liclican (2008), here are the important site
considerations:
Functionality. The site contains all desired information and includes all desired
methods of contact or interaction.
Navigation. Site navigation is easily understood and all site areas can be reached
with a minimum number of mouse clicks.
Consistency. All of the sites’ content is consistent with the clients’ message. All
the sites’ design and graphic elements are consistent with the desired style for the site.
Accuracy. Each link on every site page has been tested and each programming
element on the site has been tested for all anticipated user responses. All site elements
have been checked for errors in spelling and grammar.
Speed. Each site page loads within the desired amount of time and all graphic
elements have been optimized to load as quickly as possible.
Appearance. The sites’ overall design is appropriate and appealing and all graphic
elements are as attractive as possible for loading within the desired amount of time.
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Criteria for Evaluating Websites
According to Kapoun (1997) as cited by Liclican (2008), you may have a web
page that could be of value to your research through this list of criteria for evaluating
websites:
Accuracy. If your page lists the author and institution that published the page and
provides a way of contacting him/her.
Authority. If your page lists author credentials and its domain is preferred (.edu, .gov,
.org, or .net).
Objectivity. If your page provides accurate information with limited advertising and it
is objective in presenting the information.
Currency. If your web page is current and updated regularly (as stated on the page)
and the links (if any) are also up-to-date.
Coverage. If you can view the information properly-not limited to fees, browser
technology, or software requirement.
Definition of Terms
Accessibility. It refers to the access to the web by everyone, regardless of
disability. It also includes device independence, universal access, availability of
information, performance speed, and ease of navigation.
Currency. It refers to the timeliness of articles being published (how current the
information is).
The Rise of Community Cyber Jounalism: Preffered Online Publication of Internet
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Design consistency and ease of navigation. It refers to the easiness of surfing on a
web page through proper arrangement of information and consistent pattern throughout
the site.
Hyperlinks. It refers to the reference or navigation element in a document to
another section of the same document, another document or a specified section of another
document that automatically brings the referred information to the user.
Search engines. Search capability of a site where you can search for information
needed by typing keywords inside the search box.
Site integrity. It refers to the stability of the website over time.
Visibility and functionality. This means that the links are clearly labeled, easy to
read, distinguishable from the content, functional and not broken or dead.
Website. Set of interconnected web pages generally located on the same server,
and prepared and maintained as a collection of information by a person, group, or an
organization.
Archives section. A storage area for all previously published contents of a
website.
Search box. A text box where a user can input a word or a phrase to be searched
within the website.
RSS feed. A small message which is broadcasted to all RSS subscribers describing
the update details and contents of a website.
Cross-browser compatibility. The capability of a website, webpage, or a web
application to look and behave the same way in all web browsers.
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METHODOLOGY
Locale and Time of the Study
The study was conducted in La Trinidad, Benguet (Figure 1) since most readers of
the mentioned local newspapers are from La Trinidad.
La Trinidad is a first class municipality. It is located three kilometer north of
Baguio City and is 256 km north of Manila. It is bounded on the north by the
municipality of Tublay, on the south by Baguio and the west by Sablan and Tuba.
The study was conducted on December 2010- February 2011.
Respondents of the Study
The respondents of the study were the residents of La Trinidad, Benguet. They
were chosen through purposive sampling. They must meet the following criteria:
a. 18 years old and above
b. browsing online papers and other related online reading materials
c. they must also be browsing online community newspapers
Respondents were composed of 100 individuals. The respondents were obtained
from computer shops and a government office. The computer shops and the government
office were selected through convenience sampling.
One respondent, Rosendo Loste, is an IT expert who evaluated the features of the
five online newspapers.
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Data Collection
Personal interview was done with the editor-in-chief and the staff available to get
the profile of the online version of their newspaper using guide questions. A survey
questionnaire was also floated to some of the respondents and the others were
interviewed personally using the survey questionnaire.
Figure 1. Map of La Trinidad showing the locale of the study
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Data Gathered
The data gathered focused on the profile of the different local online community
newspaper; the socio-demographic profile of the respondents, the respondents preferred
online newspaper; the respondents’ attitudes towards online newspapers, the problems
regarding the utilization of these online sites, and the suggestions of the respondents for
the improvement of the identified sites.
Data Analysis
The data gathered was tabulated and analyzed using frequency counts,
percentages, and descriptive analysis.
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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Profile of the Online Community
Newspapers Available in the Community
There were 14 local community newspapers circulating in Benguet and Baguio
City during the study. Eight of them had their online newspaper as follows: The Baguio
Reporter, Baguio Chronicles, The Junction, Baguio Midland Courier, Sun Star Baguio,
Northern Dispatch, Zigzag Weekly, and Northern Philippine Times. However, three of
the said publication stopped their online version of their newpaper; The Baguio Reporter,
Baguio Chronicles, and The Junction.
In assessing the workability of these sites, it’s web features were evaluated as
shown in Table 1. These web features include cross-browser compatibility, availability of
archives section, and search box and its ability to automatically update or notify its
subscribers through the RSS Feed.
Cross-browser compatibility. Cross-browser compatibility is the capability of a
webpage, a website, or a web-based application to be supported in all web browsers. A
cross-browser compatible website will look and behave the same way in all web browsers
(i.e. Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome). If a website is not cross-
browser compatible, some of the features (i.e. search, photo gallery, or posting
comments) of the website might not work depending on the web browser used.
As evaluated by a key informant who has a knowledge on web design and
development, the online newspapers of Sunstar Baguio (Figure 2), Baguio Midland
Courier, Northern Dispatch Weekly, and Northern Philippine Times are cross-browser
The Rise of Community Cyber Jounalism: Preffered Online Publication of Internet
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compatible based on the tests conducted on ma
Table 1. Features of the online newspapers
jor browsers such as Internet Explorer,
Cross-browser
Has an
Search Box
Supports
Compatible
Archives
Working
RSS Feed
Section
Baguio Midland
Courier
Sunstar Baguio
Zigzag Weekly
Online
Northern
Dispatch Weekly
Northern
Philippine Times
Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome. The website of the Zigzag Weekly is not fully
cross-browser. According to the findings of the evaluator, Zigzag Weekly’s online
newspaper encountered problems of the website when it was viewed with Internet
Explorer. Using the web browser Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome fixes the problem.
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Archive Section
RSS Feed
Search Box
Figure 2. Sample online site with complete features
Archives section. An archives section is where all the previous publications of an
online newspaper are stored. It serves as a readily-available resource for references and
studies. Archives are usually categorized by month.
As evaluated by an expert, all of the online newspapers but Zigzag Weekly Online
have an archives section. Although previous publications of Zigzag Weekly Online can
be viewed by thoroughly searching the website, the idea of having an archives section
(one-click access to all the previous publications) could immensely help an interested
reader, according to the expert.
Search box. A search box is commonly a rectangular text box where a user can
type in a word or phrase that will be looked up in a website. Having a search box greatly
helps users who want to find a specific topic, news, or headline.
Based on the assessment, only Zigzag Weekly Online does not have a search box.
As such, finding specific news in Zigzag Weekly Online could become a laborious task
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since a reader would have to manually search all the previous publications. On the other
hand, the online newspaper of Baguio Midland Courier, Sunstar Baguio, and Northern
Philippine Times employ a fast and efficient search box powered by Google. Northern
Dispatch Weekly has its own search box.
RSS feed. RSS Feeds are short messages broadcasted to all RSS subscribers. It is
commonly used for notifying updates (i.e. news, headlines, or a new blog entry) used by
news-providing websites.
As evaluated, only the online newspapers of Sunstar Baguio, Northern Dispatch
Weekly, and Northern Philippine Times support RSS Feed. During the period of the
study, the online newspapers of Baguio Midland Courier and Zigzag Weekly Online did
not support RSS Feed. According to an expert, using RSS Feeds will help the more
experienced readers since they would not need to open a web browser to check on news
since the news comes to them instead.
Meanwhile, Table 2 shows the profile of the five local online community
newspapers.
Baguio Midland Courier. The online newspaper of Baguio Midland Courier was
hosted under the domain name http://www.baguiomidlandcourier.com.ph/ (Figure 3). It
started in early 2007 and was developed by an undisclosed development team. The
website was primarily developed with the ASP.NET, a web application framework used
to develop web pages, web sites, and web-based applications.
Featured articles on the online site were categorized into city, region,
environment, health, life, business, and sports news. Other features include opinion,
obituaries, cartoon, week’s mail, speaking out, animated me, true or false, snapshots,
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Table 2. Profile of the five local online community newspapers
DATE OF
REASON FOR
PUBLICATION
START
ONLINE EDITOR
ESTABLISHING
ONLINE SITE
Baguio Midland
May 2007
Ms. Cecile Afable To cater the online
Courier
readers especially to the
readers abroad.
Sun Star Baguio
2000
Mr. Sam Bautista
To cater the online
readers especially to the
readers abroad.
Nordis October
2005
Ms.
Kathleen
To cater to the growing
Okubo
numbers of readers
especially the readers
abroad.
Zigzag Weekly
2007
Atty.
Antonio To cater both paper and
Pekas
online readers as it is
already the trend today.
Northern Philippine
April
2007
Mr.
Alfred
Dizon To cater the online
Times
readers especially the
readers abroad.
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Figure 3. The homepage of the online newspaper of Baguio Midland Courier
OpEd cartoon, and Plus Juan. The paper was edited by Ms. Cecile Afable, the editor of
the print version.
Sunstar Baguio. The online newspaper of Sunstar Baguio was hosted under the
domain name sunstar.com.ph/baguio (Figure 4). It started in early 2000 and was
developed by an undisclosed development team. The website was primarily developed
with PHP, the dominant web development program used to create web pages, web sites,
and web-based applications.
Sunstar Baguio’s online newspaper is a component of Sunstar Network Online
which is composed of different Sunstar online newspapers such as Sunstar Bacolod,
Sunstar Cagayan de Oro, Sunstar Cebu, Sunstar Davao, Sunstar Dumaguete and the rest.
Featured articles on the online site were categorized into local news, business, opinion,
sports, feature, lifestyle, entertainment, and superbalita. The paper is currently being
edited by Mr.Sam Bautista.
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Figure 4. The homepage of the online newspaper of Sunstar Baguio
Northern Dispatch Weekly. The online newspaper of Northern Dispatch Weekly
was hosted under the domain name http://www.nordis.net (Figure 5). It started in October
2005 and was developed by an undisclosed development team. The website was
primarily built with WordPress, a web development framework used to quickly and
easily create web pages, web sites, and web-based applications.
Featured articles on the online site were categorized into community, city, region,
national, and environment news. The paper is also being edited by Ms. Kathleen Okubo.
Northern Philippine Times. The online newspaper of Northern Philippine Times
was hosted under the domain name http://northphiltimes.blogspot.com/ (Figure 6). It
started around 2005 and was developed by an undisclosed development team. The
website was developed in Blogspot, a blogging website which can be customized to
user’s preference.
Featured articles on the online site were categorized into local and regional news
and opinion.
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Figure 5. The homepage of the online newspaper of Northern Dispatch
Figure 6. The homepage of the online newspaper of Northern Philippine Times
Zigzag Weekly Online. The online newspaper of Zigzag Weekly was hosted under
the domain name http://www.zigzagweeklynews.com/ (Figure 7). It started around 2007
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and was developed by bcweblab, an IT company specializing in web development. The
website was primarily developed with PHP.
Featured articles on the online site were categorized into news, opinion, features,
and obituaries. The paper is being edited by Atty. Antonio Pekas.
Figure 7. The homepage of the online newspaper of Zigzag Weekly
Socio-demographic Profile of the Respondents
Table 3 shows the respondents’ socio-demographic profile in terms of age, sex,
educational attainment and tribal affiliation.
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In terms of age, 88 respondents belonged to age bracket of 18-29, followed by age
bracket of 30-41 with seven respondents. Majority of the respondents (79%) were female
and 21% were male.
Also, great majority (93%) of the respondents were single and only 7% were
married. From the 100 respondents, 82% were college students. In addition, 13% finished
college level of education with only 5% finished high school level. This implies that all
the respondents attended formal education.
Table 3. Socio-demographic profile of the respondents
CHARACTERISTICS NUMBER
(N=100)
PERCENTAGE(%)
Age
18-29
88
88
30-41
7
7
42-53
5
5
TOTAL 100
100
Sex
Male
79
79
Female
21
21
TOTAL 100
100
Civil Status
Single
93
93
Married
7
7
TOTAL 100
100
Educational attainment
College
13
13
College
student
82
82
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High school
5
5
TOTAL 100
100
Tribal Affiliation
Kankana-ey
34
34
Ibaloi
23
23
Ilocano
33
33
Tagalog
10
10
TOTAL 100
100
In terms of tribal affiliation, 34% were Kankana-ey, 33% were Ilocano, 23% were
Ibaloi, and 10% were Tagalog. This shows that majority of the respondents were
Cordillerans.
Table 4 presents the place where the respondents browsed and read online
newspaper. Majority (61%) of the respondents were browsing and reading online
newspapers at internet cafes or computer shops while 35% accessed online newspapers at
their home or personal computer. Moreover, 33% accessed online newspapers using their
friends or relatives computer, 2% accessed the online newspapers in their office and
another 2% accessed it in their school.
Table 4. Place of access to the online newspapers
PLACE NUMBER
(N=100)
PERCENTAGE(%)
Internet cafes/computer
61
61
shops
35
35
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Own/personal (at home)
33
33
Friends/relatives internet
2
2
School
2
2
Office (others)
*Multiple response
Reading practices of the readers. Table 5 presents the frequency of the
respondents in browsing and reading online newspapers.
Thirty four percent of the respondents browsed and read online newspaper
weekly. In addition, 28% browsed and read the online newspaper once a month, 22% of
them browsed and read it every two to three times a month, and 16% browsed and read it
every two to three times a week.
This shows that local online newspapers were seldom browsed by the chosen
respondents during the conduct of the study.
According to Paulino Manzano, a college student who seldom browsed online
publications, he still preferred the printed newspaper because he can carry it to class
where reading was required and that he can bring it anywhere he goes. This supports
what John McItyre as cited by Baclili (2008) noted that despite the accessibility of a rich
digital environment, people are still buying and reading the printed newspaper because
of its portability factor. They can take it wherever they go and print medium contains
information they cannot get from another source of information.
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Table 5. Respondents’ frequency in browsing and reading online newspapers
Table 6 presents the length of time that the respondents browsed and read online
newspaper. Great majority (89%) of the respondents browsed and read the online paper
for less than one hour; 10% browsed and read for one to two hours; and 1% for four-five
hours. This implies that the respondents only consume or allot a few hours in reading
their preferred online newspaper. According to some of them, they can just browse online
newspapers while they are surfing the net. Also, Annie Marie Tacloy, a college student,
said that she would only read the headlines if she is interested to read a certain story.
Online Newspaper Preference of the Respondents
FREQUENCY
NUMBER (N=100)
PERCENTAGE (%)
Weekly
34
34
2-3 times a week
16
16
Once a month
28
28
2-3 times a month
22
22
TOTAL
100
100
CHARACTERISTIC NUMBER
(N=100) PERCENTAGE
(%)
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Less than 1 hr
89
89
1 to 2 hrs
10
10
4 to 5 hrs
1
1
TOTAL 100
100
Table 7 shows the online newspaper which the respondents prefer most. Their
answers were acquired through interview schedule and survey questionnaire. Most (57%)
of the respondents preferred to browse and read the online newspaper of Baguio Midland
Courier. According to Andre Lam, Information Technology instructor, he preferred to
browse the online newspaper of Baguio Midland Courier because it was the most popular
online newspaper among the other online newspapers present in the community.
Meanwhile, 48 % preferred SunStar Baguio. Some of those who read SunStar said that
they read the site since it was a daily publication and it had some entertainment features
where one can read stories about the movie industry.
Table 6. Length of time readers browse and read the online newspaper
One respondent noted that the online newspaper of Sun Star Baguio was a daily
newspaper; thus, it was more updated. Also, 16% prefer NORDIS because according to
them, some articles were written in local dialects. On the other hand, 14% prefer Zigzag
Weekly. According to those who were browsing the online newspaper of Zigzag, it was
the common online newspaper to them.
This was followed by Northern Philippine Times (3%), Baguio Chronicles (3%)
and The Baguio Reporter (1%).
Reasons for reading online sites. Table 8 presents the general reasons of the
respondents for preferring the online sites that they chose to browse. Out of the 100
respondents, 37 persons answered that the articles published in the online newspapers
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were enough and twenty six answered that the site was easy to read. This result implies
that there is still the need for the publications to improve their websites.
Moreover, 23 answered that the “search” feature is available; 26 answered that the
links were properly functioning, and 26 said that the design and layout was pleasing to
them.
Table 7. Online newspaper which the respondents prefer to browse most
ONLINE NEWSPAPERS
NUMBER (N=100)
PERCENTAGE (%)
Baguio Midland Courier
57
57
Sun Star Baguio
48
48
NORDIS
16
16
Zigzag Weekly
14
14
Northern Philippine Times
3
3
The Baguio Reporter
1
1
Baguio Chronicles
3
3
*Multiple response
Table 8. Respondents’ reasons for preferring online sites
REASONS BMC
SunStar
Nordis
Zigzag
Total
Yes
%
Yes
%
Yes
%
Yes
%
(%)
number of articles is enough 15 15
10 10 7 7 5 5 37
the site is easy to read
16
16 6
6
2
2
2
2
26
the "search" feature is
16 16
7 7 - - -
available
the links are visible and
15 15
7 7 2 2 2 2 24
properly functioning
the design and layout is
14 14
7 7 2 2 2 2 25
pleasing to me (font size,
font color, and images)
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This supports what Arao (2006) noted that despite the advances in
telecommunications there is still a need to go back to the fundamentals of journalism and
journalists’ basic task of shaping public opinion by giving the people information that
they need.
In addition, some of the respondents did not answer this part of the questionnaire.
Attitudes of Readers Towards Online Newspaper
All (100%) of the respondents were in favor on the use of online newspapers. The
leading answer of the respondents was because it was less expensive; they can browse
past issues; and can easily be accessed if there is internet without spending too much.
This supports what Camburn (2009) said that online journalism is cost effective and it
targets a large audience.
In this connection, all of the respondents recommended the continuity of the use
of online newspapers because it helps those who do not have time to read the printed
newspaper aside from being less expensive and the archives that preserves or keep the
stories for public records and historic documents. Some of the respondents also said that
they wanted to recommend it because the trend today is going online.
This implies that the respondents have a positive view on the use of online
newspapers especially on its accessibility and easy use. This result supports what
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Camburn (2009) noted that now a days people are becoming aware of the versatility of
the internet and the ways they can gain access to media of their preference.
Reasons for favoring the use of online newspapers. Table 9 presents the reasons
of the respondents for preferring the online sites that they are browsing. The top answer
of the respondents was that online newspaper is cheaper and it archives articles for
viewing now or later. This corroborates what Journalist (2010) noted that online
journalism allows news to be stored accessed easily by the audience.
Some of the respondents also said that one reason they consider for browsing and
reading online newspaper was the credibility and reliability of the online site.
Respondents’ Perceptions Towards
the Use of Online Newspapers
Listed below are the advantages and disadvantages perceived by the respondents
regarding the utilization of online newspapers. Answers were acquired via interview
schedule and survey questionnaire.
Table 9. Respondents’ reasons for browsing the online sites
ONLINE NEWSPAPERS
REASON/S
Baguio Midland Courier
The respondents browse and read the site
of Baguio Midland Courier because it is
less expensive and reliable and credible
source of information.
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SunStar Baguio
The respondents browse and read the site
of SunStar Baguio because it is a daily
newspaper, thus, it is more updated and
easier to browse. It is also cheaper and
easier to browse compare to other online
sites and it has an entertainment section.
NORDIS
The respondents browse and read the
online newspaper of NORDIS because it
is easy to browse and uses simpler terms
and it is a detailed online newspaper.
Some also said that the site is detailed
and it has IK articles.
Zigzag Weekly
The respondents read and browse the
online site because it contains stories that
came from the Mt. Province.
Northern Philippine Times
The respondent did not state any reason
for reading the online newspaper.
Most of the respondents said that online newspaper was cheaper compared to the
printed copy and it offered the same services as the printed copy: it archives articles for
viewing now or later. According to the respondents, they can read past stories through the
archives that preserves or keep the stories for public records and historic documents. This
corroborates what Journalist (2010) has said that online journalism allows news to be
stored and accessed easily by the audience.
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In addition, a key information emphasized that online newspapers, as compared to
print, allows the readers to comment on certain issues especially those sites with RSS
feed. He added that readers would just log in on the website of their preferred online
newspaper to be able to comment on the issues they wanted. By joining as a member, one
can also join the forum of a certain online newspaper, as noted by another key informant.
These responses supports what Millison (2004) and Journalist (2010) noted that online
journalism is interactive; it allows an increase in audience participation in every news.
Another perceived advantage of using online sites is that it allows the readers to
do multi-tasking: surfing the net, at the same time, reading the online newspaper.
According to Jollibee Calderon, a Development Communication student, she read online
newspaper while doing research assignments at the internet shop. This way, there was no
need for her to buy the printed newspaper. This scenario of multi-tasking supports what
Camburn (2009) stated that online journalism is being affected by the so called “media
multitaskers”. These are those people who are able to absorb more than one medium, at
any given time.
With these advatages, some of the respondents also noted some perceived
disadvantages as follows: online newspapers are time-consuming; not appropriate
medium in areas where internet access is not available; disadvantageous to remote areas
with no electricity and those who are computer-illiterate and not applicable in time of
power interruption.
These statements of the respondents support the other statements of Arao (2006)
that there still remains a limited reach of the internet. He noted that in 2000, the
penetration rate of personal computers was small (1.5%). This can be attributed to the
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generally high cost of desktop and laptop computers. Also, National Electrification
Agency noted, that as of December 2000, only 77% of barangays were energized. Arao
(2006) stressed though that this figure would totally change with the fast change
happening in this modern generation where computer and internet is becoming a need.
Problems Encountered in Browsing the Online Newspaper
Table 10 presents the problems encountered by respondents when browsing
online newspaper. Thirty seven of the respondents said the online newspaper was not
immediately updated and 32% said that some links were broken or not functioning. This
result contradicts what Arao (2006) had stated that the online publications are
theoretically more content based and for that matter, contents are more professionally
treated and are also periodically updated to fulfill the online user’s information needs.
Moreover, 30% said that the websites were at times not available, 25% said that
some of the sites were erroneous, and 14% said that the layout of some of the sites were
not good.
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Table 10. Problems encountered by respondents when browsing online newspaper
PROBLEM NUMBER
(N=100) PERCENTAGE
(%)
It is not updated
37
37
Broken links
32
32
Website is sometimes not
30
30
available
Erroneous
25
25
Bad layout
14
14
The problem on layout and site features substantiate what Arao (2006) stated that
online journalism is relatively new to the Filipinos since World Wide Web was only
introduced in 1995; thus, problems besetting the design and layout would always come
out.
In addition, according to a 2001 survey done by the monthly magazine ‘The
Web’, as cited by Arao (2006), 82.3% (65 out of 80 web developers surveyed with one
respondent skipping the question) learned their skills through self study. This survey
done by the Web reflects that most of the web masters did not attend formal education;
thus, resulting to an underdeveloped websites.
Suggestions for the Improvement of Online Newspaper
Table 11 contains the suggestions of the respondents for each specific online
newspaper. Majority (51%) suggested that the articles should be updated. Fifteen percent
suggested that the font size should be increased, 14% said that the broken or dead links
should be eliminated, 10% suggested that the design or layout should be improved and
10% suggested that some of the inappropriate font styles used should be changed.
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Table 11. Suggestions of respondents for each online newspaper
ONLINE PUBLICATION
SUGGESTIONS
Baguio Midland Courier
The site should be updated in time with the circulation
of the printed newspaper. They should organize the
stories because the site is too crowded or they should
screen the stories that they are going to publish online.
They should also fix the links that are not properly
functioning. The layout including the font size and font
style must be improved and the classified ads section
must be added.
Sun Star Baguio
The site should be updated in time with the circulation
of the printed newspaper. The editor should always
check the spelling and punctuations and the publication
should improve the layout of the online newspaper.
They should also add other features.
Nordis
The site should be updated in time with the circulation
of the printed newspaper. The editor should always
check the spelling and punctuations and the publication
should improve the layout of the online newspaper.
They should add other features.
Zigzag Weekly
The site should be updated in time with the circulation
of the printed newspaper. The publication should
improve or remake the layout of the online newspaper.
The “search” must also be included.
Northern Philippine Times
The site should be updated in time with the circulation
of the printed newspaper and the layout should be
improved including the font size and font style. They
should add other features.
Baguio Chronicles
The publication should revive their online newspaper
and improve their layout including the font size and
style.
The Baguio Reporter
The publication should revive their online newspaper
and improve their layout including the font size and
style.
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These suggestions imply that although the trend today is going online, the
publications were not putting much attention to their online newspaper. According to Ms.
Kimberlie Quitasol, business manager of Nordis, it is their business strategy which
requires the readers to buy the printed copy that is why they are not updating their online
newspaper in time with the circulation of the printed newspaper. She also admitted that
the problem with the layout is due to the lack of technical skills.
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SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Summary
The study was conducted to get the profile of the five local community online
newspaper available in the community; characterize the users of these online newspapers;
identify the respondents’ preferred online newspapers; determine the respondents’
attitudes towards online newspaper; determine the respondents’ perceptions towards
online newspaper; identify the problems regarding the utilization of these online sites,
and solicit suggestions for the improvement of the identified sites.
The study was conducted in La Trinidad, Benguet since most of the readers were
from La Trinidad. The study was conducted from December 2010- January 2011.
Personal interview was done with the Editor-in-chief of the different community
online publications and a survey questionnaire was furnished to gather the information
needed in the study. The data gathered was tabulated and analyzed using frequency
counts, percentages and descriptive analysis.
Based on the result of the study, 88% of the respondents belonged to bracket 18-
29. There were 100 respondents interviewed and majority of them were female and only
21% were male. Majority of the respondents were single and 7% were married. Most of
the respondents were college students. Among the 100 respondents, 34% were Kankana-
ey, 33% were Illocano, 23% were Ibaloi and 10% were Tagalog.
All of the respondents were in favor of the use of online newspapers. All of the
respondents also recommended the continuity of the use of online newspaper.
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Most of the respondents were reading the online newspaper of Baguio Midland
Courier (57%) as compared to the other community online newspapers.
On the other hand, the advantages of the online newspaper is that it is cheaper, it
archives articles for viewing now or later and it allows the readers to post comment on
certain issues.
Meanwhile, the identified disadvantages of the use of online newspaper is that it
is time consuming, not suitable for computer illiterate, not applicable in remote areas in
time of power interruption and not all the articles are available online.
Conclusions
Based on the findings, the following conclusions were drawn:
1.
Local online newspapers available in the community were established
mainly for readers abroad or outside the community to have access on these publications.
2.
Baguio Midland Courier is widely browed because of its familiarity to the
browsers.
3.
The importance of online newspapers is now widely recognized by online
browsers due to its many advantages.
4.
Despite its many perceived advantages, available online newspapers are
still bound with different problems with regard to its audience’s preferences and
knowledge level, area of coverage, and its online features.
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Recommendations
1. Local newspapers are encouraged to continue utilizing the internet through its
online sites in dessiminating information to its intended readers.
2. Since there is a growing recognition on the importance of these local online
newspapers, there is a need for these sites to improve some of its features to meet the
preference of its intended audience.
3. Zigzag Weekly may consider improving some of its online feature like including
an archive section, search box, and implementing RSS Feed.
4. The online newspapers may consider hiring web developers to address the issues
or problems on its web features, layout and design.
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LITERATURE CITED
ARAO, D. 2006. The Practice of Online Journalism in the Philippines: Personal
Observations. Retrieved September 22, 2010, from
http://www.dannyarao.com/files/arao-onlinejournalism.pdf.
CAMBURN. 2009. Online Journalism, a Synopsis. Retrieved September 22, 2010, from
http://newsflavor.com/alternative/online-journalism-a-synopsis/#ixzz1202i3p68.
GMA News. TV. 2009. Online Journalism Pioneer Alecks Paico Dies. Retrieved
September 22, 2010, from http://www.gmanews.tv/story/174046/online-
journalism-pioneer-alecks-pabico-dies.
JOURNALIST. 2010. Online Journalism Advantage. Retrieved March 21, 2011, from
http://www.freejournalist.info/online-journalism-advantage.html.
LICLICAN, R. 2008. Evaluation of the Benguet State University Website. BS Thesis.
Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Benguet. Pp. 8-12.
MILLISON, D. 2004. Online Journalism FAQ. Retrieved September 22, 2010 from
http://home.comcast.net/~dougmillison/faq.html.
WARD, M. 2002. Journalism Online. Great Britain: Elsevier Science Ltd. Pp. 9, 17.
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX A
Survey Questionnaire
SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF THE RESPONDENTS
Name: _________________________________________ Age: ____________
Sex: ________ Male ___________ Female
Civil Status
______
Single
________
Separated
______ Married
________ Widow/Widower
Educational Attainment
______ College Graduate
______ Elementary Graduate
______ High School Graduate
______ Others (please specify)
Tribal Affiliation
_____ Kankana-ey
______ Ilocano
_____ Ibaloi
______ Others (please specify)
Where do/did you access the online paper? (You may check more than one).
_____own/ personal (at home)
_____friends’/relatives’
internet
_____internet cafes/computer shops
_____school
_____ others (pls. specify)_______
READING PRACTICES OF THE READERS
1. How often do you read the online papers?
_____ Weekly
_____ Once a month
_____ 2-3 times a week
_____ 2-3 times a month
_____
others
(pls.
specify)__________
2. How long do/did you browse the online paper?
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_____less than 1hr
_____3 to 4 hrs
_____1 to 2 hrs
_____4 to 5 hrs
II. ONLINE NEWSPAPER PREFERENCE
1. Which of the following online newspaper do you prefer to browse? You may
check more than one).
Online newspaper
Yes No
Baguio Midland Courier
Sun Star Baguio
NORDIS
Zigzag Weekly
Northern Philippine Times
The Baguio Reporter
Baguio Chronicles
2. What are the reasons for preferring these online sites? (Put a check mark on the
preferred online newspaper you identified above).
r
Reasons
ordis
orthern
BMC
SunSta
N
Zigzag
N
Phil. Times
yes no Yes No Yes No Yes
No Yes No
a. number of articles is
enough
b. the site is easy to read
c. the "search" feature is
available
d. the links are visible and
properly functioning
e. the design and layout is
The Rise of Community Cyber Jounalism: Preffered Online Publication of Internet
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42
pleasing to me (font size, font
color, and images)
Others (pls. specify):
___________________________________________________________
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43
III. ATTITUDES OF READERS TOWARDS ONLINE NEWSPAPER
1. Are you in favor of the use of the following online newspaper? (Put a check mark
on the online newspapers you identified).
Online newspaper
Yes
No
Baguio Midland Courier
Sun Star Baguio
NORDIS
Zigzag Weekly
Northern Philippine Times
The Baguio Reporter
Baguio Chronicles
2. What are your reasons for favoring the use of these online sites?
Online newspaper
Reason/s
Baguio Midland Courier
Sun Star Baguio
NORDIS
Zigzag Weekly
Northern Philippine Times
The Baguio Reporter
Baguio Chronicles
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3. Are you willing to recommend the continuity of the use of the following online
newspapers?
Online newspapers
Yes
No
Baguio Midland Courier
Sun Star Baguio
NORDIS
Zigzag Weekly
Northern Philippine Times
The Baguio Reporter
Baguio Chronicles
IV. RESPONDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS THE USE OF ONLINE
NEWSPAPER
1. What do you think are the advantages of these online newspapers?
2. What do you think are the disadvantages of these online newspapers?
V. PROBLEMS IN BROWSING THE ONLINE NEWSPAPER
1. What problem/s do you encounter when browsing local online newspaper?
Check problems you encounter
PROBLMES
It is not updated
Broken links
Website is sometimes not available
Erroneous
Bad or not good layout
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Others (pls. specify)
____________________________________________________________
VI. SUGGESTIONS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF ONLINE NEWSPAPER
What do you suggest for the improvement of these sites?
Online newspapers
Suggestions
Baguio Midland Courier
Sun Star Baguio
NORDIS
Zigzag Weekly
Northern Philippine
Times
The Baguio Reporter
Baguio Chronicles
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Thank you very much for taking time to answer this form!
APPENDIX B
Guide questions getting the profile of the five local online newspapers
1. When did the publication started?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
______________________.
2. Who is the founder of the newspaper?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
______________________.
3. Who is the first Editor?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
______________________.
4. When did you decide to have an online publication?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
______________________.
5. What are your criteria for publishing articles online?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
______________________.
6. What are the challenges that you face with regards to having online publication?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
The Rise of Community Cyber Jounalism: Preffered Online Publication of Internet
Browsers in La Trinidad, Benguet / ANALYN G. ADAMAG. 2011
ADAMAG, ANALYN G. APRIL 2011. The Rise of Community Cyber Jounalism:
Preffered Online Publication of Internet Browsers in La Trinidad, Benguet. Benguet State
University, La Trinidad, Benguet.
Adviser: Filmore Y. Awas, MDevCom
ABSTRACT
The study was conducted to get the profile of the different online community
newspaper available in the community; characterize the users of these online newspapers;
identify the respondents’ preferred online newspaper; determine the respondents attitudes
towards online newspaper; identify the respondents’ perceptions towards online
newspaper; identify the problems regarding the utilization of these online sites, and
solicit suggestions of the respondents for the improvement of the identified sites.
There were 100 respondents who were purposively selected from La Trinidad.
The study was conducted on December 2010 to February 2011.
Findings showed that out of the 14 community newspapers circulating Baguio
City and Benguet during the study, eight of them had their online newspaper. However,
three of the said publications stopped their online version of their newspaper.
Majority of the respondents were female and all of them attended formal
education. Most of the respondents also browsed the online newspaper of Baguio Midlan
Courier.
Results showed that all of the respondents were in favour in the use of online
newspapers. All of them also recommended the continuity of online newspapers.
The identified advantages of online newspapers is it was cheaper compared to the
printed copy and it offered the same services as the printed copy; it archived articles for
viewing now or later; it allowed the readers to comment on certain issues especially those
sites with RSS Feed. Meanwhile, the identified disadvantages on the use of the online
newspaper are time-consuming; not appropriate medium in areas where internet access is
not available; not applicable in remote areas with no electricity and those who are
computer illiterate, and not applicable in times of power interruption.
The study recommends the continuity of the local newspapers in utilizing the
internet through its online sites in disseminating information to its intended readers. The
online sites should also consider improving some of its features to meet the preference of
its intended audience.
Zigzag Weekly may also consider improving some of its online features like
including an archive section, search box, and implementing RSS Feed. These features
were considered important for easy browsing. These online newspapers may also
consider hiring web developers to address the issues or problems on its web features,
layout and design.
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Rationale of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Statement of the Problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Objectives of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Importance of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Scope and Limitation of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
REVIEW OF LITERATURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Online Journalism Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
History of Online Journalism
in the Philippines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Online Journalism vs. Traditional
Journalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Criteria for Evaluating Websites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Definition of Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
METHODOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Locale and Time of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Respondents of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
iii
Data Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Data Gathered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Data Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
RESULTS AND DISCUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Profile of the Online Newspaper
Available in the Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Socio-demographic Profile
of the Respondents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Online Newspaper Preference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Respondents’ Reasons for Reading
Online Newspaper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Attitudes of Respondents Towards
Online Newspaper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Respondents’ Perception Towards
the Use of Online Newspaper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Problems Encountered by
Respondents in Reading
Local Online Newspaper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Suggestions for the Improvement
of the Online Newspaper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
LITERATURE CITED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
APPENDIX
A. Survey Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
B. Guide Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
iv
Page
LIST OF TABLES
Table No.
1
Features of the online newspapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2
Profile of the five local online
community newspapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3
Socio-demographic profile
of the respondents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
4
Place of access to the online
newspapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
5
Respondents’ frequency in browsing
and reading online newspapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
6
Length of time readers browse
and read the online newspaper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
7
Online newspaper which the
respondents prefer to browse most . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
8
Respondents’ reasons for
preferring online sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
9
Respondents’ reasons for
browsing the online sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
10
Problems encountered by
respondents when browsing
online newspaper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
11
Suggestions of respondents for
each online newspaper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
v
INTRODUCTION
Rationale
Newspapers, dating back in the 17th century, are the primary medium in which
people learn on current events about everything from economic conditions and wars,
weather conditions and discoveries, to human-interest stories and entertainment.
Today, with the popularity and widespread use of the internet, newspapers and
other printed media are gradually being overshadowed by the accessibility of vast
information from online sources. With this trend, newspaper companies worldwide are
increasingly adapting online means of delivering news to the public; thus, the birth of
online journalism. This has changed the landscape of journalism practice worldwide.
Online journalism breaks the physical restrictions present in print media and
opens new capabilities and advantages, such as multimedia presentation and interactivity.
As Ward (2002) noted, switching to online publishing enables articles and news to be
archived-allowing extensive research.
To go with the trend, newspaper companies in the Philippines have already
adapted online journalism as a component of their services such as the Philippine Daily
Inquirer, Manila Bulletin, Philippine Star among others. Local publications are also
establishing their own online sites like Baguio Midland Courier, Sun Star- Baguio,
Nordis Weekly, Zigazag weekly among others.
With the gradual declining use of traditional journalism and adaptation of online
journalism, the future journalism is beginning to shift towards digitalization.
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According to Camburn (2009), many persons are becoming aware of the
versatility of the internet and the ways in which they can gain access to media of their
own choice, at any given time, or any given day. People realized that they can update
themselves of the happenings in their areas, and surrounding areas as well as the world
through the internet.
In addition, Camburn (2009) also noted that online journalism was proven to be
cost- effective and alternative way to reach their targeted audience, and more, because
even when you are surfing on the web, you come across tidbits of information on blogs
you would normally view, then if and you decide to expand on it, or read more about a
particular topic, you click on a link to a several news sites
With these developments in journalism, the need to check the preferences of the
audience regarding the services of online journalism sites is of importance. As Arao
(2006) stressed, there is a need for online journalism sites to meet the preference of their
audience and to deliver appropriate information to these “cyber people”. He also added
that online journalism should take note of the problems besetting the design and layout of
websites as form tends to overshadow the content.
The study is generally established to get the profile of the different local online
community newspaper; characterize the users of these online newspapers, determine the
respondents preferred online newspaper; determine the respondents’ attitudes towards
online newspapers, identify the problems regarding the utilization of these online sites,
and solicits suggestions of the respondents for the improvement of the identified sites.
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Statement of the Problem
The study was conducted to answer the following questions:
1.
What is the profile of the different online community newspaper available
in the community?
2.
What is the socio-demographic profile of the respondents?
3.
What online community newspaper do the respondents prefer to browse
most?
4.
What are the respondents’ attitudes towards online newspaper?
5.
What are the respondents’ perceptions towards online newspaper?
6.
What are the problems regarding the utilization of these online sites?
7.
What are the respondents suggestions for the improvement of the
identified sites?
Objectives of the study
The study aims to:
1.
get the profile of the different online community newspaper available in
the community;
2.
characterize the users of these online newspapers;
3.
identify the respondents’ preferred online newspaper;
4.
determine the respondents’ attitudes towards online newspaper;
5.
determine the respondents’ perceptions towards online newspaper;
6.
identify the problems regarding the utilization of these online sites, and
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4
7.
solicit suggestions of the respondents for the improvement of the
identified sites.
Importance of the Study
The results of the study may be significant to the administrators of the different
publications in maintaining, improving or redevelopment of their sites. It will provide
insights to the administrators of the publications on whether the information or articles
published in the site meet the needs of its intended audience.
The study will also encourage the publications to redevelop their online papers for
the convenience of the readers. This can also be used by other Development
Communication students and other researches as a basis for formulating the same scope
of the study.
Scope and Limitations of the study
The study focused on the five online community newspapers being read by the
respondents here in La Trinidad.
The data gathered include the profile of the five online community newspaper; the
socio-demographic profile of the respondents, the respondents preferred online
newspaper; the respondents’ attitudes towards online newspapers, the problems regarding
the utilization of these online sites, and the suggestions of the respondents for the
improvement of the identified sites.
The study did not cover the readers abroad, did not evaluate the specific content
of each online newspaper and it did not include the information need that the respondents
would like to have in each online newspaper.
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REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Online Journalism Overview
Online journalism is categorized as reporting, producing and distributing facts and
information through the internet. According to Camburn (2009), online journalism, for
the most part, has seen changes not common for many industries such as: it has been
revolutionized by the advent of the internet, blogs, and forums. She also noted that many
persons are becoming aware of the versatility of the internet and the ways in which they
can gain access to media of their choice, at any given time, or any given day. People also
realized that they can update themselves of happenings in their areas, and surrounding
areas as well as the world through the internet.
Moreover, many media houses have welcomed the introduction of online
journalism. They became aware that it plays a huge role in revolutionizing the
information reported by the media, and the ways in which it is reported, when it is
reported, how it is reported, and to whom it is reported.
History of Online Journalism in the Philippines
According to Arao (2006), online journalism is relatively new since Filipinos
were introduced to the Web only in 1995. Thus, problems besetting the design and lay
out of websites as form tends to overshadow the content. This situation can be rooted to
the lack or even absence of knowledge in the principles of design and lay out. He also
noted that websites have grown in numbers mainly as a result of the three factors: (1)
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6
introduction of what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) web authoring programs; (2)
better and more varied Internet access; and (3) ubiquity of blogging.
In addition, Alecks Pabico a pioneer in the art and science of multimedia
journalism in the Philippines helped set up the PCIJ’s website, which hosted the nation’s
first journalism group blog and later podcast the “Hello Garci” tapes of President Gloria
Macapagal Arroyo talking to various officials about manipulating the 2004 elections
(GMANews.TV).
Online Journalism versus Traditional Journalism
Online journalism as compared to traditional journalism has its own advantages.
Acccording to Millison (2004), online journalism can be published in real time, updating
breaking news and events as they happen. He also noted that it takes advantage of the
shifted time. Online publications can publish and archive articles for viewing now or
later, just as print, film, or broadcast publications can however WWW articles can be
infinitely easier to access.
According also to him, online journalism is interactive. Hyperlinks represent the
primary mechanism for this interactivity on the Web, linking the various elements of a
lengthy, complex work, introducing multiple points of view, and adding depth and detail.
A work of online journalism can consist of a hyperlinked set of web pages; these pages
can themselves include hyperlinks to other web sites. Comparing to traditional
journalism, it guides the readers through a linear narrative. Narrative momentum and a
strong editorial voice pull a reader through a linear narrative.
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In addition, according to Camburn (2009), online journalism was proven to be a
cost- effective and alternative way to reach their targeted audience, and more, because
even when you are surfing on the web, you come across tidbits of information on blogs
you would normally views, then if and you decide to expand on it, or read more about a
particular topic, you click on a link which leads to a several news sites. She also noted
that online journalism has proven to less expensive, while targeting a larger audience.
According to Aloha Online as cited by Liclican (2008), here are the important site
considerations:
Functionality. The site contains all desired information and includes all desired
methods of contact or interaction.
Navigation. Site navigation is easily understood and all site areas can be reached
with a minimum number of mouse clicks.
Consistency. All of the sites’ content is consistent with the clients’ message. All
the sites’ design and graphic elements are consistent with the desired style for the site.
Accuracy. Each link on every site page has been tested and each programming
element on the site has been tested for all anticipated user responses. All site elements
have been checked for errors in spelling and grammar.
Speed. Each site page loads within the desired amount of time and all graphic
elements have been optimized to load as quickly as possible.
Appearance. The sites’ overall design is appropriate and appealing and all graphic
elements are as attractive as possible for loading within the desired amount of time.
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Criteria for Evaluating Websites
According to Kapoun (1997) as cited by Liclican (2008), you may have a web
page that could be of value to your research through this list of criteria for evaluating
websites:
Accuracy. If your page lists the author and institution that published the page and
provides a way of contacting him/her.
Authority. If your page lists author credentials and its domain is preferred (.edu, .gov,
.org, or .net).
Objectivity. If your page provides accurate information with limited advertising and it
is objective in presenting the information.
Currency. If your web page is current and updated regularly (as stated on the page)
and the links (if any) are also up-to-date.
Coverage. If you can view the information properly-not limited to fees, browser
technology, or software requirement.
Definition of Terms
Accessibility. It refers to the access to the web by everyone, regardless of
disability. It also includes device independence, universal access, availability of
information, performance speed, and ease of navigation.
Currency. It refers to the timeliness of articles being published (how current the
information is).
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9
Design consistency and ease of navigation. It refers to the easiness of surfing on a
web page through proper arrangement of information and consistent pattern throughout
the site.
Hyperlinks. It refers to the reference or navigation element in a document to
another section of the same document, another document or a specified section of another
document that automatically brings the referred information to the user.
Search engines. Search capability of a site where you can search for information
needed by typing keywords inside the search box.
Site integrity. It refers to the stability of the website over time.
Visibility and functionality. This means that the links are clearly labeled, easy to
read, distinguishable from the content, functional and not broken or dead.
Website. Set of interconnected web pages generally located on the same server,
and prepared and maintained as a collection of information by a person, group, or an
organization.
Archives section. A storage area for all previously published contents of a
website.
Search box. A text box where a user can input a word or a phrase to be searched
within the website.
RSS feed. A small message which is broadcasted to all RSS subscribers describing
the update details and contents of a website.
Cross-browser compatibility. The capability of a website, webpage, or a web
application to look and behave the same way in all web browsers.
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METHODOLOGY
Locale and Time of the Study
The study was conducted in La Trinidad, Benguet (Figure 1) since most readers of
the mentioned local newspapers are from La Trinidad.
La Trinidad is a first class municipality. It is located three kilometer north of
Baguio City and is 256 km north of Manila. It is bounded on the north by the
municipality of Tublay, on the south by Baguio and the west by Sablan and Tuba.
The study was conducted on December 2010- February 2011.
Respondents of the Study
The respondents of the study were the residents of La Trinidad, Benguet. They
were chosen through purposive sampling. They must meet the following criteria:
a. 18 years old and above
b. browsing online papers and other related online reading materials
c. they must also be browsing online community newspapers
Respondents were composed of 100 individuals. The respondents were obtained
from computer shops and a government office. The computer shops and the government
office were selected through convenience sampling.
One respondent, Rosendo Loste, is an IT expert who evaluated the features of the
five online newspapers.
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Data Collection
Personal interview was done with the editor-in-chief and the staff available to get
the profile of the online version of their newspaper using guide questions. A survey
questionnaire was also floated to some of the respondents and the others were
interviewed personally using the survey questionnaire.
Figure 1. Map of La Trinidad showing the locale of the study
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Data Gathered
The data gathered focused on the profile of the different local online community
newspaper; the socio-demographic profile of the respondents, the respondents preferred
online newspaper; the respondents’ attitudes towards online newspapers, the problems
regarding the utilization of these online sites, and the suggestions of the respondents for
the improvement of the identified sites.
Data Analysis
The data gathered was tabulated and analyzed using frequency counts,
percentages, and descriptive analysis.
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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Profile of the Online Community
Newspapers Available in the Community
There were 14 local community newspapers circulating in Benguet and Baguio
City during the study. Eight of them had their online newspaper as follows: The Baguio
Reporter, Baguio Chronicles, The Junction, Baguio Midland Courier, Sun Star Baguio,
Northern Dispatch, Zigzag Weekly, and Northern Philippine Times. However, three of
the said publication stopped their online version of their newpaper; The Baguio Reporter,
Baguio Chronicles, and The Junction.
In assessing the workability of these sites, it’s web features were evaluated as
shown in Table 1. These web features include cross-browser compatibility, availability of
archives section, and search box and its ability to automatically update or notify its
subscribers through the RSS Feed.
Cross-browser compatibility. Cross-browser compatibility is the capability of a
webpage, a website, or a web-based application to be supported in all web browsers. A
cross-browser compatible website will look and behave the same way in all web browsers
(i.e. Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome). If a website is not cross-
browser compatible, some of the features (i.e. search, photo gallery, or posting
comments) of the website might not work depending on the web browser used.
As evaluated by a key informant who has a knowledge on web design and
development, the online newspapers of Sunstar Baguio (Figure 2), Baguio Midland
Courier, Northern Dispatch Weekly, and Northern Philippine Times are cross-browser
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compatible based on the tests conducted on ma
Table 1. Features of the online newspapers
jor browsers such as Internet Explorer,
Cross-browser
Has an
Search Box
Supports
Compatible
Archives
Working
RSS Feed
Section
Baguio Midland
Courier
Sunstar Baguio
Zigzag Weekly
Online
Northern
Dispatch Weekly
Northern
Philippine Times
Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome. The website of the Zigzag Weekly is not fully
cross-browser. According to the findings of the evaluator, Zigzag Weekly’s online
newspaper encountered problems of the website when it was viewed with Internet
Explorer. Using the web browser Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome fixes the problem.
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Archive Section
RSS Feed
Search Box
Figure 2. Sample online site with complete features
Archives section. An archives section is where all the previous publications of an
online newspaper are stored. It serves as a readily-available resource for references and
studies. Archives are usually categorized by month.
As evaluated by an expert, all of the online newspapers but Zigzag Weekly Online
have an archives section. Although previous publications of Zigzag Weekly Online can
be viewed by thoroughly searching the website, the idea of having an archives section
(one-click access to all the previous publications) could immensely help an interested
reader, according to the expert.
Search box. A search box is commonly a rectangular text box where a user can
type in a word or phrase that will be looked up in a website. Having a search box greatly
helps users who want to find a specific topic, news, or headline.
Based on the assessment, only Zigzag Weekly Online does not have a search box.
As such, finding specific news in Zigzag Weekly Online could become a laborious task
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since a reader would have to manually search all the previous publications. On the other
hand, the online newspaper of Baguio Midland Courier, Sunstar Baguio, and Northern
Philippine Times employ a fast and efficient search box powered by Google. Northern
Dispatch Weekly has its own search box.
RSS feed. RSS Feeds are short messages broadcasted to all RSS subscribers. It is
commonly used for notifying updates (i.e. news, headlines, or a new blog entry) used by
news-providing websites.
As evaluated, only the online newspapers of Sunstar Baguio, Northern Dispatch
Weekly, and Northern Philippine Times support RSS Feed. During the period of the
study, the online newspapers of Baguio Midland Courier and Zigzag Weekly Online did
not support RSS Feed. According to an expert, using RSS Feeds will help the more
experienced readers since they would not need to open a web browser to check on news
since the news comes to them instead.
Meanwhile, Table 2 shows the profile of the five local online community
newspapers.
Baguio Midland Courier. The online newspaper of Baguio Midland Courier was
hosted under the domain name http://www.baguiomidlandcourier.com.ph/ (Figure 3). It
started in early 2007 and was developed by an undisclosed development team. The
website was primarily developed with the ASP.NET, a web application framework used
to develop web pages, web sites, and web-based applications.
Featured articles on the online site were categorized into city, region,
environment, health, life, business, and sports news. Other features include opinion,
obituaries, cartoon, week’s mail, speaking out, animated me, true or false, snapshots,
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Table 2. Profile of the five local online community newspapers
DATE OF
REASON FOR
PUBLICATION
START
ONLINE EDITOR
ESTABLISHING
ONLINE SITE
Baguio Midland
May 2007
Ms. Cecile Afable To cater the online
Courier
readers especially to the
readers abroad.
Sun Star Baguio
2000
Mr. Sam Bautista
To cater the online
readers especially to the
readers abroad.
Nordis October
2005
Ms.
Kathleen
To cater to the growing
Okubo
numbers of readers
especially the readers
abroad.
Zigzag Weekly
2007
Atty.
Antonio To cater both paper and
Pekas
online readers as it is
already the trend today.
Northern Philippine
April
2007
Mr.
Alfred
Dizon To cater the online
Times
readers especially the
readers abroad.
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Figure 3. The homepage of the online newspaper of Baguio Midland Courier
OpEd cartoon, and Plus Juan. The paper was edited by Ms. Cecile Afable, the editor of
the print version.
Sunstar Baguio. The online newspaper of Sunstar Baguio was hosted under the
domain name sunstar.com.ph/baguio (Figure 4). It started in early 2000 and was
developed by an undisclosed development team. The website was primarily developed
with PHP, the dominant web development program used to create web pages, web sites,
and web-based applications.
Sunstar Baguio’s online newspaper is a component of Sunstar Network Online
which is composed of different Sunstar online newspapers such as Sunstar Bacolod,
Sunstar Cagayan de Oro, Sunstar Cebu, Sunstar Davao, Sunstar Dumaguete and the rest.
Featured articles on the online site were categorized into local news, business, opinion,
sports, feature, lifestyle, entertainment, and superbalita. The paper is currently being
edited by Mr.Sam Bautista.
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Figure 4. The homepage of the online newspaper of Sunstar Baguio
Northern Dispatch Weekly. The online newspaper of Northern Dispatch Weekly
was hosted under the domain name http://www.nordis.net (Figure 5). It started in October
2005 and was developed by an undisclosed development team. The website was
primarily built with WordPress, a web development framework used to quickly and
easily create web pages, web sites, and web-based applications.
Featured articles on the online site were categorized into community, city, region,
national, and environment news. The paper is also being edited by Ms. Kathleen Okubo.
Northern Philippine Times. The online newspaper of Northern Philippine Times
was hosted under the domain name http://northphiltimes.blogspot.com/ (Figure 6). It
started around 2005 and was developed by an undisclosed development team. The
website was developed in Blogspot, a blogging website which can be customized to
user’s preference.
Featured articles on the online site were categorized into local and regional news
and opinion.
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Figure 5. The homepage of the online newspaper of Northern Dispatch
Figure 6. The homepage of the online newspaper of Northern Philippine Times
Zigzag Weekly Online. The online newspaper of Zigzag Weekly was hosted under
the domain name http://www.zigzagweeklynews.com/ (Figure 7). It started around 2007
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and was developed by bcweblab, an IT company specializing in web development. The
website was primarily developed with PHP.
Featured articles on the online site were categorized into news, opinion, features,
and obituaries. The paper is being edited by Atty. Antonio Pekas.
Figure 7. The homepage of the online newspaper of Zigzag Weekly
Socio-demographic Profile of the Respondents
Table 3 shows the respondents’ socio-demographic profile in terms of age, sex,
educational attainment and tribal affiliation.
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In terms of age, 88 respondents belonged to age bracket of 18-29, followed by age
bracket of 30-41 with seven respondents. Majority of the respondents (79%) were female
and 21% were male.
Also, great majority (93%) of the respondents were single and only 7% were
married. From the 100 respondents, 82% were college students. In addition, 13% finished
college level of education with only 5% finished high school level. This implies that all
the respondents attended formal education.
Table 3. Socio-demographic profile of the respondents
CHARACTERISTICS NUMBER
(N=100)
PERCENTAGE(%)
Age
18-29
88
88
30-41
7
7
42-53
5
5
TOTAL 100
100
Sex
Male
79
79
Female
21
21
TOTAL 100
100
Civil Status
Single
93
93
Married
7
7
TOTAL 100
100
Educational attainment
College
13
13
College
student
82
82
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High school
5
5
TOTAL 100
100
Tribal Affiliation
Kankana-ey
34
34
Ibaloi
23
23
Ilocano
33
33
Tagalog
10
10
TOTAL 100
100
In terms of tribal affiliation, 34% were Kankana-ey, 33% were Ilocano, 23% were
Ibaloi, and 10% were Tagalog. This shows that majority of the respondents were
Cordillerans.
Table 4 presents the place where the respondents browsed and read online
newspaper. Majority (61%) of the respondents were browsing and reading online
newspapers at internet cafes or computer shops while 35% accessed online newspapers at
their home or personal computer. Moreover, 33% accessed online newspapers using their
friends or relatives computer, 2% accessed the online newspapers in their office and
another 2% accessed it in their school.
Table 4. Place of access to the online newspapers
PLACE NUMBER
(N=100)
PERCENTAGE(%)
Internet cafes/computer
61
61
shops
35
35
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Own/personal (at home)
33
33
Friends/relatives internet
2
2
School
2
2
Office (others)
*Multiple response
Reading practices of the readers. Table 5 presents the frequency of the
respondents in browsing and reading online newspapers.
Thirty four percent of the respondents browsed and read online newspaper
weekly. In addition, 28% browsed and read the online newspaper once a month, 22% of
them browsed and read it every two to three times a month, and 16% browsed and read it
every two to three times a week.
This shows that local online newspapers were seldom browsed by the chosen
respondents during the conduct of the study.
According to Paulino Manzano, a college student who seldom browsed online
publications, he still preferred the printed newspaper because he can carry it to class
where reading was required and that he can bring it anywhere he goes. This supports
what John McItyre as cited by Baclili (2008) noted that despite the accessibility of a rich
digital environment, people are still buying and reading the printed newspaper because
of its portability factor. They can take it wherever they go and print medium contains
information they cannot get from another source of information.
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Table 5. Respondents’ frequency in browsing and reading online newspapers
Table 6 presents the length of time that the respondents browsed and read online
newspaper. Great majority (89%) of the respondents browsed and read the online paper
for less than one hour; 10% browsed and read for one to two hours; and 1% for four-five
hours. This implies that the respondents only consume or allot a few hours in reading
their preferred online newspaper. According to some of them, they can just browse online
newspapers while they are surfing the net. Also, Annie Marie Tacloy, a college student,
said that she would only read the headlines if she is interested to read a certain story.
Online Newspaper Preference of the Respondents
FREQUENCY
NUMBER (N=100)
PERCENTAGE (%)
Weekly
34
34
2-3 times a week
16
16
Once a month
28
28
2-3 times a month
22
22
TOTAL
100
100
CHARACTERISTIC NUMBER
(N=100) PERCENTAGE
(%)
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Less than 1 hr
89
89
1 to 2 hrs
10
10
4 to 5 hrs
1
1
TOTAL 100
100
Table 7 shows the online newspaper which the respondents prefer most. Their
answers were acquired through interview schedule and survey questionnaire. Most (57%)
of the respondents preferred to browse and read the online newspaper of Baguio Midland
Courier. According to Andre Lam, Information Technology instructor, he preferred to
browse the online newspaper of Baguio Midland Courier because it was the most popular
online newspaper among the other online newspapers present in the community.
Meanwhile, 48 % preferred SunStar Baguio. Some of those who read SunStar said that
they read the site since it was a daily publication and it had some entertainment features
where one can read stories about the movie industry.
Table 6. Length of time readers browse and read the online newspaper
One respondent noted that the online newspaper of Sun Star Baguio was a daily
newspaper; thus, it was more updated. Also, 16% prefer NORDIS because according to
them, some articles were written in local dialects. On the other hand, 14% prefer Zigzag
Weekly. According to those who were browsing the online newspaper of Zigzag, it was
the common online newspaper to them.
This was followed by Northern Philippine Times (3%), Baguio Chronicles (3%)
and The Baguio Reporter (1%).
Reasons for reading online sites. Table 8 presents the general reasons of the
respondents for preferring the online sites that they chose to browse. Out of the 100
respondents, 37 persons answered that the articles published in the online newspapers
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were enough and twenty six answered that the site was easy to read. This result implies
that there is still the need for the publications to improve their websites.
Moreover, 23 answered that the “search” feature is available; 26 answered that the
links were properly functioning, and 26 said that the design and layout was pleasing to
them.
Table 7. Online newspaper which the respondents prefer to browse most
ONLINE NEWSPAPERS
NUMBER (N=100)
PERCENTAGE (%)
Baguio Midland Courier
57
57
Sun Star Baguio
48
48
NORDIS
16
16
Zigzag Weekly
14
14
Northern Philippine Times
3
3
The Baguio Reporter
1
1
Baguio Chronicles
3
3
*Multiple response
Table 8. Respondents’ reasons for preferring online sites
REASONS BMC
SunStar
Nordis
Zigzag
Total
Yes
%
Yes
%
Yes
%
Yes
%
(%)
number of articles is enough 15 15
10 10 7 7 5 5 37
the site is easy to read
16
16 6
6
2
2
2
2
26
the "search" feature is
16 16
7 7 - - -
available
the links are visible and
15 15
7 7 2 2 2 2 24
properly functioning
the design and layout is
14 14
7 7 2 2 2 2 25
pleasing to me (font size,
font color, and images)
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This supports what Arao (2006) noted that despite the advances in
telecommunications there is still a need to go back to the fundamentals of journalism and
journalists’ basic task of shaping public opinion by giving the people information that
they need.
In addition, some of the respondents did not answer this part of the questionnaire.
Attitudes of Readers Towards Online Newspaper
All (100%) of the respondents were in favor on the use of online newspapers. The
leading answer of the respondents was because it was less expensive; they can browse
past issues; and can easily be accessed if there is internet without spending too much.
This supports what Camburn (2009) said that online journalism is cost effective and it
targets a large audience.
In this connection, all of the respondents recommended the continuity of the use
of online newspapers because it helps those who do not have time to read the printed
newspaper aside from being less expensive and the archives that preserves or keep the
stories for public records and historic documents. Some of the respondents also said that
they wanted to recommend it because the trend today is going online.
This implies that the respondents have a positive view on the use of online
newspapers especially on its accessibility and easy use. This result supports what
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Camburn (2009) noted that now a days people are becoming aware of the versatility of
the internet and the ways they can gain access to media of their preference.
Reasons for favoring the use of online newspapers. Table 9 presents the reasons
of the respondents for preferring the online sites that they are browsing. The top answer
of the respondents was that online newspaper is cheaper and it archives articles for
viewing now or later. This corroborates what Journalist (2010) noted that online
journalism allows news to be stored accessed easily by the audience.
Some of the respondents also said that one reason they consider for browsing and
reading online newspaper was the credibility and reliability of the online site.
Respondents’ Perceptions Towards
the Use of Online Newspapers
Listed below are the advantages and disadvantages perceived by the respondents
regarding the utilization of online newspapers. Answers were acquired via interview
schedule and survey questionnaire.
Table 9. Respondents’ reasons for browsing the online sites
ONLINE NEWSPAPERS
REASON/S
Baguio Midland Courier
The respondents browse and read the site
of Baguio Midland Courier because it is
less expensive and reliable and credible
source of information.
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SunStar Baguio
The respondents browse and read the site
of SunStar Baguio because it is a daily
newspaper, thus, it is more updated and
easier to browse. It is also cheaper and
easier to browse compare to other online
sites and it has an entertainment section.
NORDIS
The respondents browse and read the
online newspaper of NORDIS because it
is easy to browse and uses simpler terms
and it is a detailed online newspaper.
Some also said that the site is detailed
and it has IK articles.
Zigzag Weekly
The respondents read and browse the
online site because it contains stories that
came from the Mt. Province.
Northern Philippine Times
The respondent did not state any reason
for reading the online newspaper.
Most of the respondents said that online newspaper was cheaper compared to the
printed copy and it offered the same services as the printed copy: it archives articles for
viewing now or later. According to the respondents, they can read past stories through the
archives that preserves or keep the stories for public records and historic documents. This
corroborates what Journalist (2010) has said that online journalism allows news to be
stored and accessed easily by the audience.
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In addition, a key information emphasized that online newspapers, as compared to
print, allows the readers to comment on certain issues especially those sites with RSS
feed. He added that readers would just log in on the website of their preferred online
newspaper to be able to comment on the issues they wanted. By joining as a member, one
can also join the forum of a certain online newspaper, as noted by another key informant.
These responses supports what Millison (2004) and Journalist (2010) noted that online
journalism is interactive; it allows an increase in audience participation in every news.
Another perceived advantage of using online sites is that it allows the readers to
do multi-tasking: surfing the net, at the same time, reading the online newspaper.
According to Jollibee Calderon, a Development Communication student, she read online
newspaper while doing research assignments at the internet shop. This way, there was no
need for her to buy the printed newspaper. This scenario of multi-tasking supports what
Camburn (2009) stated that online journalism is being affected by the so called “media
multitaskers”. These are those people who are able to absorb more than one medium, at
any given time.
With these advatages, some of the respondents also noted some perceived
disadvantages as follows: online newspapers are time-consuming; not appropriate
medium in areas where internet access is not available; disadvantageous to remote areas
with no electricity and those who are computer-illiterate and not applicable in time of
power interruption.
These statements of the respondents support the other statements of Arao (2006)
that there still remains a limited reach of the internet. He noted that in 2000, the
penetration rate of personal computers was small (1.5%). This can be attributed to the
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generally high cost of desktop and laptop computers. Also, National Electrification
Agency noted, that as of December 2000, only 77% of barangays were energized. Arao
(2006) stressed though that this figure would totally change with the fast change
happening in this modern generation where computer and internet is becoming a need.
Problems Encountered in Browsing the Online Newspaper
Table 10 presents the problems encountered by respondents when browsing
online newspaper. Thirty seven of the respondents said the online newspaper was not
immediately updated and 32% said that some links were broken or not functioning. This
result contradicts what Arao (2006) had stated that the online publications are
theoretically more content based and for that matter, contents are more professionally
treated and are also periodically updated to fulfill the online user’s information needs.
Moreover, 30% said that the websites were at times not available, 25% said that
some of the sites were erroneous, and 14% said that the layout of some of the sites were
not good.
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Table 10. Problems encountered by respondents when browsing online newspaper
PROBLEM NUMBER
(N=100) PERCENTAGE
(%)
It is not updated
37
37
Broken links
32
32
Website is sometimes not
30
30
available
Erroneous
25
25
Bad layout
14
14
The problem on layout and site features substantiate what Arao (2006) stated that
online journalism is relatively new to the Filipinos since World Wide Web was only
introduced in 1995; thus, problems besetting the design and layout would always come
out.
In addition, according to a 2001 survey done by the monthly magazine ‘The
Web’, as cited by Arao (2006), 82.3% (65 out of 80 web developers surveyed with one
respondent skipping the question) learned their skills through self study. This survey
done by the Web reflects that most of the web masters did not attend formal education;
thus, resulting to an underdeveloped websites.
Suggestions for the Improvement of Online Newspaper
Table 11 contains the suggestions of the respondents for each specific online
newspaper. Majority (51%) suggested that the articles should be updated. Fifteen percent
suggested that the font size should be increased, 14% said that the broken or dead links
should be eliminated, 10% suggested that the design or layout should be improved and
10% suggested that some of the inappropriate font styles used should be changed.
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Table 11. Suggestions of respondents for each online newspaper
ONLINE PUBLICATION
SUGGESTIONS
Baguio Midland Courier
The site should be updated in time with the circulation
of the printed newspaper. They should organize the
stories because the site is too crowded or they should
screen the stories that they are going to publish online.
They should also fix the links that are not properly
functioning. The layout including the font size and font
style must be improved and the classified ads section
must be added.
Sun Star Baguio
The site should be updated in time with the circulation
of the printed newspaper. The editor should always
check the spelling and punctuations and the publication
should improve the layout of the online newspaper.
They should also add other features.
Nordis
The site should be updated in time with the circulation
of the printed newspaper. The editor should always
check the spelling and punctuations and the publication
should improve the layout of the online newspaper.
They should add other features.
Zigzag Weekly
The site should be updated in time with the circulation
of the printed newspaper. The publication should
improve or remake the layout of the online newspaper.
The “search” must also be included.
Northern Philippine Times
The site should be updated in time with the circulation
of the printed newspaper and the layout should be
improved including the font size and font style. They
should add other features.
Baguio Chronicles
The publication should revive their online newspaper
and improve their layout including the font size and
style.
The Baguio Reporter
The publication should revive their online newspaper
and improve their layout including the font size and
style.
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These suggestions imply that although the trend today is going online, the
publications were not putting much attention to their online newspaper. According to Ms.
Kimberlie Quitasol, business manager of Nordis, it is their business strategy which
requires the readers to buy the printed copy that is why they are not updating their online
newspaper in time with the circulation of the printed newspaper. She also admitted that
the problem with the layout is due to the lack of technical skills.
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SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Summary
The study was conducted to get the profile of the five local community online
newspaper available in the community; characterize the users of these online newspapers;
identify the respondents’ preferred online newspapers; determine the respondents’
attitudes towards online newspaper; determine the respondents’ perceptions towards
online newspaper; identify the problems regarding the utilization of these online sites,
and solicit suggestions for the improvement of the identified sites.
The study was conducted in La Trinidad, Benguet since most of the readers were
from La Trinidad. The study was conducted from December 2010- January 2011.
Personal interview was done with the Editor-in-chief of the different community
online publications and a survey questionnaire was furnished to gather the information
needed in the study. The data gathered was tabulated and analyzed using frequency
counts, percentages and descriptive analysis.
Based on the result of the study, 88% of the respondents belonged to bracket 18-
29. There were 100 respondents interviewed and majority of them were female and only
21% were male. Majority of the respondents were single and 7% were married. Most of
the respondents were college students. Among the 100 respondents, 34% were Kankana-
ey, 33% were Illocano, 23% were Ibaloi and 10% were Tagalog.
All of the respondents were in favor of the use of online newspapers. All of the
respondents also recommended the continuity of the use of online newspaper.
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Most of the respondents were reading the online newspaper of Baguio Midland
Courier (57%) as compared to the other community online newspapers.
On the other hand, the advantages of the online newspaper is that it is cheaper, it
archives articles for viewing now or later and it allows the readers to post comment on
certain issues.
Meanwhile, the identified disadvantages of the use of online newspaper is that it
is time consuming, not suitable for computer illiterate, not applicable in remote areas in
time of power interruption and not all the articles are available online.
Conclusions
Based on the findings, the following conclusions were drawn:
1.
Local online newspapers available in the community were established
mainly for readers abroad or outside the community to have access on these publications.
2.
Baguio Midland Courier is widely browed because of its familiarity to the
browsers.
3.
The importance of online newspapers is now widely recognized by online
browsers due to its many advantages.
4.
Despite its many perceived advantages, available online newspapers are
still bound with different problems with regard to its audience’s preferences and
knowledge level, area of coverage, and its online features.
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Recommendations
1. Local newspapers are encouraged to continue utilizing the internet through its
online sites in dessiminating information to its intended readers.
2. Since there is a growing recognition on the importance of these local online
newspapers, there is a need for these sites to improve some of its features to meet the
preference of its intended audience.
3. Zigzag Weekly may consider improving some of its online feature like including
an archive section, search box, and implementing RSS Feed.
4. The online newspapers may consider hiring web developers to address the issues
or problems on its web features, layout and design.
The Rise of Community Cyber Jounalism: Preffered Online Publication of Internet
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LITERATURE CITED
ARAO, D. 2006. The Practice of Online Journalism in the Philippines: Personal
Observations. Retrieved September 22, 2010, from
http://www.dannyarao.com/files/arao-onlinejournalism.pdf.
CAMBURN. 2009. Online Journalism, a Synopsis. Retrieved September 22, 2010, from
http://newsflavor.com/alternative/online-journalism-a-synopsis/#ixzz1202i3p68.
GMA News. TV. 2009. Online Journalism Pioneer Alecks Paico Dies. Retrieved
September 22, 2010, from http://www.gmanews.tv/story/174046/online-
journalism-pioneer-alecks-pabico-dies.
JOURNALIST. 2010. Online Journalism Advantage. Retrieved March 21, 2011, from
http://www.freejournalist.info/online-journalism-advantage.html.
LICLICAN, R. 2008. Evaluation of the Benguet State University Website. BS Thesis.
Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Benguet. Pp. 8-12.
MILLISON, D. 2004. Online Journalism FAQ. Retrieved September 22, 2010 from
http://home.comcast.net/~dougmillison/faq.html.
WARD, M. 2002. Journalism Online. Great Britain: Elsevier Science Ltd. Pp. 9, 17.
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX A
Survey Questionnaire
SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF THE RESPONDENTS
Name: _________________________________________ Age: ____________
Sex: ________ Male ___________ Female
Civil Status
______
Single
________
Separated
______ Married
________ Widow/Widower
Educational Attainment
______ College Graduate
______ Elementary Graduate
______ High School Graduate
______ Others (please specify)
Tribal Affiliation
_____ Kankana-ey
______ Ilocano
_____ Ibaloi
______ Others (please specify)
Where do/did you access the online paper? (You may check more than one).
_____own/ personal (at home)
_____friends’/relatives’
internet
_____internet cafes/computer shops
_____school
_____ others (pls. specify)_______
READING PRACTICES OF THE READERS
1. How often do you read the online papers?
_____ Weekly
_____ Once a month
_____ 2-3 times a week
_____ 2-3 times a month
_____
others
(pls.
specify)__________
2. How long do/did you browse the online paper?
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_____less than 1hr
_____3 to 4 hrs
_____1 to 2 hrs
_____4 to 5 hrs
II. ONLINE NEWSPAPER PREFERENCE
1. Which of the following online newspaper do you prefer to browse? You may
check more than one).
Online newspaper
Yes No
Baguio Midland Courier
Sun Star Baguio
NORDIS
Zigzag Weekly
Northern Philippine Times
The Baguio Reporter
Baguio Chronicles
2. What are the reasons for preferring these online sites? (Put a check mark on the
preferred online newspaper you identified above).
r
Reasons
ordis
orthern
BMC
SunSta
N
Zigzag
N
Phil. Times
yes no Yes No Yes No Yes
No Yes No
a. number of articles is
enough
b. the site is easy to read
c. the "search" feature is
available
d. the links are visible and
properly functioning
e. the design and layout is
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pleasing to me (font size, font
color, and images)
Others (pls. specify):
___________________________________________________________
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III. ATTITUDES OF READERS TOWARDS ONLINE NEWSPAPER
1. Are you in favor of the use of the following online newspaper? (Put a check mark
on the online newspapers you identified).
Online newspaper
Yes
No
Baguio Midland Courier
Sun Star Baguio
NORDIS
Zigzag Weekly
Northern Philippine Times
The Baguio Reporter
Baguio Chronicles
2. What are your reasons for favoring the use of these online sites?
Online newspaper
Reason/s
Baguio Midland Courier
Sun Star Baguio
NORDIS
Zigzag Weekly
Northern Philippine Times
The Baguio Reporter
Baguio Chronicles
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3. Are you willing to recommend the continuity of the use of the following online
newspapers?
Online newspapers
Yes
No
Baguio Midland Courier
Sun Star Baguio
NORDIS
Zigzag Weekly
Northern Philippine Times
The Baguio Reporter
Baguio Chronicles
IV. RESPONDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS THE USE OF ONLINE
NEWSPAPER
1. What do you think are the advantages of these online newspapers?
2. What do you think are the disadvantages of these online newspapers?
V. PROBLEMS IN BROWSING THE ONLINE NEWSPAPER
1. What problem/s do you encounter when browsing local online newspaper?
Check problems you encounter
PROBLMES
It is not updated
Broken links
Website is sometimes not available
Erroneous
Bad or not good layout
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Others (pls. specify)
____________________________________________________________
VI. SUGGESTIONS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF ONLINE NEWSPAPER
What do you suggest for the improvement of these sites?
Online newspapers
Suggestions
Baguio Midland Courier
Sun Star Baguio
NORDIS
Zigzag Weekly
Northern Philippine
Times
The Baguio Reporter
Baguio Chronicles
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Thank you very much for taking time to answer this form!
APPENDIX B
Guide questions getting the profile of the five local online newspapers
1. When did the publication started?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
______________________.
2. Who is the founder of the newspaper?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
______________________.
3. Who is the first Editor?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
______________________.
4. When did you decide to have an online publication?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
______________________.
5. What are your criteria for publishing articles online?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
______________________.
6. What are the challenges that you face with regards to having online publication?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
The Rise of Community Cyber Jounalism: Preffered Online Publication of Internet
Browsers in La Trinidad, Benguet / ANALYN G. ADAMAG. 2011
Document Outline
- The Rise of Community Cyber Jounalism:Preffered Online Publication of Internet Browsers in La Trinidad, Benguet
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
- ABSTRACT
- TABLE OF CONTENTS
- INTRODUCTION
- REVIEW OF LITERATURE
- METHODOLOGY
- RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
- SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
- LITERATURE CITED
- APPENDICES