The Credibility of Rappler As Perceived by Communication Students From

POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
THE CREDIBILITY OF RAPPLER AS PERCEIVED BY

COMMUNICATION STUDENTS FROM SELECTED
UNIVERSITIES IN METRO MANILA:
ACADEMIC YEAR 2018-2019
A Thesis
Presented to the Faculty of College of Communication
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
Sta. Mesa, Manila
In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree

Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Communication
By
Lanterno, Michelle P.
Magallanes, Ma. Sophia R.
Placido, Mikaela V.
May 2019
Philippine Copyright © 2019

By:
Lanterno, Michelle P.
Placido, Mikaela V.
and the College of Communication

Polytechnic University of the Philippines – Sta. Mesa, Manila Campus
All rights reserved. Portions of this manuscript may be reproduced with proper
referencing and due acknowledgment of the authors.
CERTIFICATION
This thesis, THE CREDIBILITY OF RAPPLER AS PERCEIVED BY

COMMUNICATION STUDENTS FROM SELECTED UNIVERSITIES IN METRO MANILA:
ACADEMIC YEAR 2018-2019 prepared and submitted by MICHELLE P. LANTERNO, MA.
SOPHIA R. MAGALLANES, and MIKAELA V. PLACIDO in partial fulfilment of the
requirements for the degree, BACHELOR OF ARTS IN BROADCAST COMMUNICATION
has been examined and recommended for Oral Examination.
Evaluation Committee
ANGELITO BAUTISTA JR.

Adviser
RUDOLF ANTHONY A. LACERNA, DEM CHERRY C. PEBRE, MC

Chair Member
HEMMADY S. MORA, MC
Member
APPROVAL
Approved by the Panel on Oral Examination on December 21, 2018.
RUDOLF ANTHONY A. LACERNA, DEM

Chair
HEMMADY S. MORA, MC CHERRY C. PEBRE, MC

Member Member
Accepted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree Bachelor of Arts in
Broadcast Communication.
DIVINA TORMON-PASUMBAL, PhD

Dean, College of Communication
Date:
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
For the past year and a half, the researchers only had three wishes: better sleep,
no revisions and submitting a hard-bounded copy of this thesis. Finally, it is happening.
The day has come where we secured our tickets to graduation as we completed the final
journey of thesis writing. With that, the researches would like to express our utmost
gratitude to the following who helped us with this study:
Our advisers Dr. Racidon P. Bernarte and Mr. Angelito P. Bautista Jr. for the
knowledge and guidance they imparted to us for the best possible outcome of this paper.
Our panelists from the research proposal and thesis defense: Associate Professor
Kriztine R. Viray, Dr. Rudolf Anthony A. Lacerna, Assistant Professor Cherry C. Pebre, and
Assistant Professor Hemmady S. Mora, who carefully examined our paper and made
recommendations to improve our study further.
Mr. Danilo Arao of the University of the Philippines that despite his busy schedule
was able to help us with the validation of our survey instrument; and Miss Reneline Par for
the computation of the data we gathered.
To our kapwa iskolar ng bayan and the school officials of the Polytechnic University
of the Philippines, the University of Makati and the officers of the Communication Arts
Society of Centro Escolar University who assisted us during the data gathering.
Lastly, to our families especially our loving parents, Mrs. Marissa Lanterno, Mrs.
Marilyn Placido and Mrs. Ailyn Magallanes, who did not just provide the financial support
but also provided us their love, time and, effort. And most importantly our God Almighty
who made this journey worth it and possible.
The Researchers
iv
CERTIFICATION OF ORIGINALITY
This is to certify that the research work presented in this thesis, THE CREDIBILITY
OF RAPPLER AS PERCEIVED BY COMMUNICATION STUDENTS FROM SELECTED
UNIVERSITIES IN METRO MANILA: ACADEMIC YEAR 2018-2019 for the degree
Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Communication at the Polytechnic University of the
Philippines embodies the result of original and scholarly work carried out by the
undersigned. The undergraduate thesis does not contain any words or ideas taken from
published sources or written works that have been accepted as a basis for the award of a
degree from any other higher education institution, except where proper referencing and
acknowledgment were made.
MICHELLE P. LANTERNO
Researcher
MA. SOPHIA R. MAGALLANES
Researcher
MIKAELA V. PLACIDO
Researcher
Date Signed (22, February, 2019)
v
CERTIFICATION OF STATISTICAL TREATMENT
vi
CERTIFICATION OF EDITING
vii
ABSTRACT
Thesis Title: The Credibility of Rappler as Perceived by

Communication Students from Selected Universities in
Metro Manila: Academic Year 2018-2019
Researchers: Lanterno, Michelle P.

Placido, Mikaela V.
Curriculum Program: Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Communication
Institution: Polytechnic University of the Philippines
Thesis Adviser: Mr. Angelito Bautista Jr.
After being branded as a “fake news” organization by President Rodrigo Duterte on
his speeches, the study aims to know the credibility of Rappler, the very first digital news
organization in the country. The respondents of the study were communication students
who are future media practitioners and part of the youth ages 16-24 that are the most
active and heavy users of technology and view online news as more credible than media
institutions. In total, there were 316 students from the Polytechnic University of the
Philippines- College of Communication, 108 students from Centro Escolar University
School of Education, Liberal Arts and Music and 183 students from the University of
Makati- College of Arts and Letters. Guided by the Source Credibility Theory by Hovland,
Janis, and Kelly as the foundation of the study with the five dimensions of Credibility by
Chung, Nam and Stefanone results show that Rappler has low credibility in terms of
Trustworthiness of news content due to issues faced by the organization that influences
the perception of the respondent. However, Rappler has high credibility on the Expertise of
the journalist and News Presentation (Interactivity, Multimediality, and Hypertextuality)
viii
showing that the journalists employed at Rappler are credible source of news and the
organization has an interactive and appealing website used for presenting news. The result
of the study addresses the gap in the lack of studies in the field of Credibility for online
news organizations in the age of fake news phenomenon.
Keywords- Fake News, Credibility, Rappler, Polytechnic University of the Philippines,
College of Communication
ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Title Page i
Copyright Page ii
Certification and Approval Sheet iii
Acknowledgments iv
Certification of Originality v
Certification of Statistical Treatment vi
Certification of Editing vii
Abstract viii
Table of Contents x
List of Tables xii
Figure xiii
1 The Problem and Its Setting

Introduction 1
Theoretical Framework 4
Conceptual Framework 6
Statement of the Problem 8
Scope and Limitations of the Study 10
Significance of the Study 11
Definition of Terms 13
2 Review of Literature and Studies

The Philippine Media: An Overview 14
Print Media in the Philippines
Broadcast Media in the Philippines
Internet and Online News in the Philippines
The Roles of Media in the Society 17
Issues on Mass Media 19
Fake News
Profile of Rappler.com 21
Current Issues Against Rappler 23
Internet Penetration to Filipino Youth and College Students in 24
the Philippines
Communication Schools in the Philippines 25
Communication Courses at Centro Escolar University
Communication Courses at Polytechnic University of the
Philippines
Communication Courses at the University of Makati
The Credibility of Online Media 29
Synthesis of the Reviewed Literature and Studies 31
x
3 Methodology
Methods of Research 33
Population, Sample Size, and Sampling Technique 33
Description of Respondents 34
Research Instrument 36
Data Gathering Procedure 37
Statistical Treatment of Data 38
4 Results and Discussion

Frequency of Visiting Rappler’s Website 41
Purpose of Visiting Rappler’s Website 43
Perception of the Respondents on the Accusation Against 45
Rappler on Releasing Fake News
Perception of the Respondents on the Credibility of Rappler as 47
an Online News Organization in terms of Trustworthiness,
Expertise, Interactivity, Multimediality and Hypertextuality
5 Summary of Findings, Conclusions, and

Recommendations
Summary of Findings 56
Conclusions 57
Recommendations 59
References 61
Appendices
Appendix 1: Research Instrument 68
Appendix 2: Correspondences 75
Appendix 3: Grammarly Result 79
Appendix 4: Turnitin Result 82
a Appendix 5: Biographical Statements 84
xi
LIST OF TABLES
Number Title Page
1 Distribution of Respondents per University for the Academic 35

Year 2018-2019
2 Frequency of Visiting Rappler’s Website 41
2.1 Frequency and Percentage Distribution of Respondent’s Visit 42

to Rappler’s Website
3 Frequency and Rank Distribution of Respondents Purpose on 43

Visiting Rappler’s Website
4 Mean Score of the Respondents’ Assessment towards the 45

Accusation on Rappler on Releasing “Fake News”
5.1 Mean Score of the Respondents’ Assessment towards 47

Rappler’s Credibility in terms of Trustworthiness of News
Content

Rappler’s Credibility in terms of Expertise of Journalists

Rappler’s Credibility in terms of Interactivity of News
Presentation

Rappler’s Credibility in terms of Multimediality of News
Presentation

Rappler’s Credibility in terms of Hypertextuality of News
Presentation
xii
FIGURE
Number Title Page
1 Conceptual Framework 8
xiii
1
Chapter 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING
Introduction
On the 30th day of June 2016, the inauguration of President Rodrigo Duterte as the
16th President of the Republic of the Philippines after winning the May 9 National Election
with a total vote of 16, 601, 997 takes place (Official count: Duterte is the new president,
Robredo is vice president, 2016). Shortly after being elected in the position, he accused
different news organizations and labeled them as “fake news” that aims to attack his
administration.
According to McGonagle (2017), “fake news” is defined as “information that has been
deliberately fabricated and disseminated as news with the intention to mislead the readers”
(p.1) whereas Roozenbeek and Van der Linder (2018) noted that the term started to gain
global relevance during the 2016 US Presidential Election and is now a topic of public
concern (Baum et al., 2017). According to Burkhadt (2017), it is one of the main threats to
the society as listed by the World Economic Forums since the news, plays a vital role in
the nation for being a principal source of accurate information (McGonagle, 2017).
Furthermore, it influences people on almost all of their everyday decisions (Adah & Horne,
2017; Devaney, 2013; & Espina, 2013). It is no longer guaranteed to be reliable because of
the proliferation of the internet and social media that allows it to be abundant, fast-flowing
and easily accessible and shared to wider audience online unlike with the traditional media
print, radio and television where news information undergo strict verification process before
being aired or printed (Adah & Horne, 2017; Graauwmans, 2016).
The risk that fake news poses to society prompted different government around the
globe to take actions against it especially in the Philippines. Filipinos are more vulnerable
2
to fake news since it is rampant online considering that they are one of the most active
internet users in the world with a total of 67 million who spent an average of nine (9) hours
and twenty-nine (29) minutes online every day (We Are Social Together with Hootsuite,
2018). Approximately 86% who trust information released by news media (Matsa, Mitchelle
& Silver, 2018) particularly among youth 16 to 24 who are most active and heavy users of
technology who view online news as more credible than media institutions. As a
preliminary step in fighting fake news, Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass
Media chaired by Senator Grace Poe conducted hearings which started on October 4,
2017 and continued until January 30 and March 15, 2018 respectively that aims to know
the effect of fake news in shaping public opinion and the responsibility of the government,
bloggers and journalists on spreading misinformation (Roxas, 2017).
News organizations in the Philippines are also affected by the fake news
phenomenon particularly Rappler, the very first digital news organization in the country
(Ranada, 2018). Rappler is the most accused as “fake news organization” by President
Duterte on his speeches such as during his second State of the Nation Address [SONA]
and the inauguration of a new air traffic management in Pasay (Lopez, 2017).
Launched on January 1, 2012, Rappler is the very first all-digital news organization in
the Philippines headed by veteran journalists and news managers Maria Ressa, Glenda
Gloria, Chai Holifeña, and Beth Fendoroso. The aim of Rappler as a news organization is
to integrate a traditional way of broadcasting using digital technology and internet through
social media with the use of a “crowd meter” or “crowdsourcing tool” that measure the
emotions of the reader (Rappler wins UN’s 2015 World Summit Award, 2015). A year after
its launching, Alexa, web traffic data and analytics ranked Rappler as the third top online
news site in the Philippines (Top Sites in the Philippines, 2018). Three years later, Rappler
was granted an award at the United Nation’s World Summit Awards for its innovative
3
website, the only Asian media group awardee (Rappler wins UN’s 2015 World Summit
Award, 2015).
Despite the recognition, the Securities Exchange Commission [SEC] still revoked
Rappler's license to operate for violating the Philippine Constitution not allowing foreign
ownership in mass media (Tiglao, 2018). As a move to address the issue, Rappler then
filed a petition to the Court of Appeals to review the findings of SEC. The Court of Appeals
dismissed Rappler's appeal finding the decision of Securities Exchange and Commission
valid but insisted on giving Rappler reasonable time to comply since the recent move of the
questioned foreign investor, Omidyar Network to donate one point five US dollar worth of
Philippine Depositary Receipts to 14 Filipino Rappler managers is an 'act of good faith'
(Buan, 2018). Aside from the issue of violating the constitution, Rappler is also facing tax
evasion cases. As of 2019, there is still no final ruling on Rappler's revocation of the
license to operate; that is why they are even allowed to continue its operation.
With the on-going issue against Rappler, it challenges Rappler’s “credibility” as a
news organization wherein according to Alotaibi (2016) and Campbell, Gibson, Gunter and
Touri (2009), credibility is essential in the field of mass communication specifically on the
ground of news, where authenticity is based on its credibility since there is a responsibility
to give truthful records of news events to the audience. McCraken (2011) argues that news
consumers will frequently use a medium if they perceived it as credible.
Flanagin and Metzger (2011) defined credibility as the "believability of information
and sources that is inclined with trustworthiness and expertise of the information source as
interpreted by the information receiver" (p.1) where trustworthiness is the "combination of
believability, honesty and lack of bias" while Expertise refers to "knowledge of the subject"
(Bolalek, 2013, p.10).

4
Considering the “fake news” allegations against Rappler, this study is undertaken to
know its credibility as an online news organization at the lens of college communication
students from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Centro Escolar University and
the University of Makati. The respondents were chosen based on their respective
university missions that aim to impart strong media ethics and improve media literacy
among their students who are future media practitioners. Also, these students are part of
the youth ages 16 to 24 that are the most active and heavy users of technology and view
online news as more credible than media institutions (Matsa, Mitchell & Silver, 2018;
Philippine Trust Index, 2017; TNS Digital Life, 2012) that spent an average of nine (9)
hours and twenty-nine (29) minutes online everyday (We Are Social Together with
Hootsuite, 2018).
Theoretical Framework
Hovland, Janis, and Kelly (1953) defined Source Credibility Theory as the perceived
credibility on the source that could affect how the receiver’s view the information.
Furthermore, Hovland and Weiss (1951) conducted a series of studies to test the theory
further using two variables—a credible source and non-credible source attached to one
persuasive message. Later on, they found out that respondent’s way of perceiving
credibility was affected by the image known to a credible source.
On the same note, Chung, Nam, and Stefanone (2012) conducted a study that will
determine the factors affecting the influence of the perceived credibility of online users on
online news sites. The study used Trustworthiness, Expertise, Interactivity, Multimediality,
and Hypertextuality as Five dimensions that identify the perceived credibility of new media
5
and applied it to online news sites such as New York Times, USA Today, Axis of Logic,
Drudge Report, Yahoo, and Google news.
Five Dimensions of Credibility
1. Trustworthiness
The two primary dimensions of Credibility according to the study on the study
made by Hovland and Weiss (1951) are Trustworthiness and Expertise. The past
study made by Chung, Nam, and Stefanone (2012) identified perceived
Trustworthiness with fairness, unbiased, objective and diverse in giving an opinion
on a specific issue.
2. Expertise
Hovland, Janis, and Kelly (1953) labeled expertise as the second dimension
of source credibility next to trustworthiness defined as the degree to which a news
site is perceived to be the source of valid and reliable statements. This dimension
can be measured using three items; professional journalists are employed, in-depth
articles and articles that are written by professional journalists.
3. Interactivity
Chung, Nam and Stefanone (2012), Rafaeli and Sudweek (1997) refer to
Interactivity as a useful variable in communication between readers and news
content or the communication between the reader and the source. It is referring to
how the news site enables the readers to respond to the news article, reply to a
comment on a news article or even modify a news article. Thus, it made interactivity
as one of the essential characteristics of new media.

6
4. Multimediality
Carpenter (2010), Bolls, Myers, Sternadori, and Wise (2009) refer to
Multimediality as multimedia features in which text, images, sound, and video, are
combined on one digital platform to present news more appealingly. In addition to
that, Dimitrova and Kiousis (2006) used three items to measure the degree of
multimediality of a news site. A low condition for online news sites that uses text
only, moderate for those sites that use text and images and high for those sites that
use text, images, sound and video in the presentation of news articles
5. Hypertextuality
Dimitrova and Neznanski (2006) defined hypertextuality as an element of
news sites that enrich readers’ context about a particular issue by clicking a
highlighted or underlined word, phrase or image on a news article that links the
reader to related news stories.
The researchers used Source Credibility Theory as the foundation of the study with
the support of Five Dimensions determined on Chung, Nam, and Stefanone’s study in
order to find the credibility of Rappler among undergraduate communication students of
the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Centro Escolar University and the University
of Makati.
Conceptual Framework
The study adapted the five dimensions of credibility along with the Source Credibility
Theory to determine the perceived credibility of Communication Students from the

7
Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Centro Escolar University and the University of
Makati on Rappler in the midst of fake news accusation.
According to Chung, Nam and Stefanone (2012), five factors affect perceived
credibility on online news sites; the traditional factors Trustworthiness and Expertise from
Hovland, Janis and Kelly (1953) and Interactivity, Multimediality, and Hypertextuality, the
new factors associated on new media.
There are three categories used in the study to assess the Credibility of Rappler:
News Content, Journalists and News Presentation. In identifying the perceived
trustworthiness of news content, the study used fairness, unbiased, objective and diverse
in discoursing opinions on specific issues.
Using Hovland, Janis, and Kelly (1953) definition of Expertise stating that the news
site is a source of valid and reliable statements, the study identified Expertise based on the
professionalism of Rappler's journalists as an online news source.
At the last category News Presentation, it was composed of Interactivity,
Multimediality and Hyperlink wherein Interactivity was identified based on Chung, Nam and
Stefanone (2012) and Rafaeli, and Sudweek (1997) definition which states that perceived
interactivity refers to the communication between the readers and the source.
Multimediality was identified based on Carpenter (2010) and Bolls, Myers,
Sternadori, and Wise (2009) definition of perceived multimediality which refers to the
multimedia features such as text, images, sound and video combined in one digital
platform to present news more appealingly.
Moreover, Hyperlink was identified based on Dimitrova and Neznanski (2006)
definition of perceived Hypertextuality which refers to the element of new media that enrich
reader’s context about a particular issue by clicking a highlighted or underlined word,
phrase, or image that redirect readers to a related news article.

8
“FAKE NEWS”
RAPPLER
News Content Journalists News Presentation
Multimediality
Trustworthiness Expertise
Interactivity
Hypertexuality
Figure 1
Conceptual Framework
Statement of the Problem
The development of technology in this digital age changes the dynamics of
disseminating news that eventually leads to a new form of journalism known as online
journalism or new media. According to Arao (2006), it is a production of news through the
internet with the use of newspaper type of words and with the speed and immediacy of
broadcast media. Since time and deadlines do not bound online journalism, unlike
traditional journalism, releasing information or updates are quickly done. New media being
facile and immediate in correction and publication of news lead to a possibility for online
news writers to provide news with vague and unverified contents.

9
These elements of new media gave derivation on ‘fake news’ which proliferate during
the 2016 presidential election in the United States of America (Hunt, 2017). As defined by
Wardle (2017), ‘fake news’ is an inaccurate term attached for a content distributed in a
social media with the intention to misinform and share manipulative information known as
fabricated in a news-like form.
However, these elements also gave an opportunity for new media to increase its
online audience giving more importance to news websites such as Rappler, one of the
news website that brands itself as the first social news network in the Philippines which
aims to allow public involvement through the crowdsourcing of emotions. Then on January
2018, it was being accused as a “fake news” outlet by President Rodrigo Duterte that
releases “fake news articles” against his administration.
As a result of the allegations, there are now questions regarding Rappler's credibility.
Pertierra (2012) claimed that credibility is an essential aspect of a media organization since
it has a vital role in imparting perspective to the society that significantly affects the
country’s democracy while Campbell, Gibson, Gunter and Touri (2009) claimed that a
significant number of audience lean to it for truthful information regarding the current
happenings in their surroundings.
Through the following questions, the study aimed to know the credibility of Rappler
after the remarks made by President Rodrigo Duterte on his speeches, at the lens of
communication students from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Centro Escolar
University and the University of Makati enrolled at the current academic year 2018-2019.
Furthermore, these students also represent the 16 to 64 age bracket of 58% heavy internet
users in the Philippines who trust online news media.

10
1. What is the respondent’s frequency of visiting Rappler’s website?
2. What is the respondents’ purpose in visiting Rappler’s website?
3. What is the perception of the respondents on the accusation on Rappler about
releasing “fake news”?
4. How do the respondents perceive the credibility of Rappler as an online news
organization in terms of:
a. News Content (Trustworthiness)
b. Journalists (Expertise)
c. News Presentation (Interactivity, Multimediality, Hypertextuality)
Scope and Limitations of the Study
The focus of the study is the credibility of Rappler as an online news organization
after being accused of “fake news” by the current President of the Philippines, Rodrigo
Duterte. Other media organizations and issues were not involved in this study.
In order to know the perceived Credibility of Rappler, the study used the five
dimensions of Credibility (Trustworthiness, Expertise, Interactivity, Multimediality, and
Hypertextuality) of the Source Credibility Theory as a foundation. Communication students
who are future media practitioners from Broadcast Communication, Journalism,
Communication Research, Advertising and Public Relations of the Polytechnic University
of the Philippines; Broadcast Communication, Journalism, Communication and Media, and
Performing Arts of Centro Escolar University; and Broadcast Production, Multimedia, and
Communication Service and Management from the University of Makati on Academic Year
2018-2019 were used as the respondents.

11
The researchers sought the number of enrolled students based on the official list
provided by the Information and Communications Technology Office [ICTO] of the
Polytechnic University of the Philippines academic year 2018-2019. On the other hand, the
Centro Escolar University's office of School of Education- Liberal Arts, Music, and Social
Work provided the list of enrolled students from Centro Escolar University. Lastly, the office
of the College of Arts and Letters provided the list of enrolled students from the University
of Makati. For data gathering process, the researchers used survey questionnaires
validated by an expert. The study is only limited to three universities mentioned since other
communication students from different universities cannot participate due to restrictions of
data gathering.
Significance of the Study
The researchers believed that this study is beneficial to the following:
Rappler
The company can use this study to evaluate their organization’s credibility as
perceived among undergraduate students from the selected universities in Metro
Manila and bring development or change to them.
News Organization
This study can help different news organizations in the Philippines that has
an online platform and can serve as a basis for evaluating their credibility in terms of
news content, news presentation, and media personnel in their organization.

12
Media Professionals
Practitioners, particularly in online news media, can use this research as a
basis to develop different elements of credibility that is important with their
professional life most importantly because of their participation with the effect of
media in shaping a nation’s perspective.
Communication Schools in the Philippines
This study can help the field of communication in different institutions in the
Philippines. With universities’ goal in molding students to be an academic leader in
the field of communication, the findings of this study can mirror the expertise of
undergraduate communication students in terms of what influences them with their
perspective of the credibility of the online news.
Online News Audience
The study can serve as a reference for the online news audience in critically
evaluating any online news source with the content, presentation, and personnel
within the organization.
To the Future Researchers and Students
The findings of this study can serve as one of the bases of further studies of
researchers and students as they explore other related topics about the perceived
credibility of Rappler as an online news organization.

13
Definition of Terms
Fake News. Defined as information that has been deliberately fabricated and
disseminated as news with the intention to mislead the readers. The term was used by
President Rodrigo Duterte referring to Rappler on his speeches.
Credibility. The believability of information and sources that are inclined with
trustworthiness and expertise of the information source as interpreted by the information
receiver. It was referred to as the question of Rappler’s image after receiving “fake news”
remarks by President Rodrigo Duterte.
Trustworthiness. Fair, objective and diverse in giving information in the News
Content.
Expertise. The degree to which the journalist employed is a source of valid and
reliable statements.
Interactivity. Refers to how a news site enables the reader to respond, reply and
modify a news article.
Multimediality. A multimedia feature in which text, images, sound, and video are
combined in one digital platform to present news appealingly.
Hypertextuality. An element of a news site that enrich readers’ context about a
particular issue by clicking a highlighted or underlined word, phrase or image in an article
that links them to related news stories.

14
Chapter 2
REVIEW OF LITERATURE AND STUDIES
The Philippine Media: An Overview
The Philippine Media is considered to be one of the oldest media in Asia and is also
called as the freest among its counterpart for its fearlessness to stand against the
government that played a massive role for freedom and independence in the country. Its
uniqueness for being mostly privately-owned is also a distinct characteristic of the
Philippine Press compare to other stations in Asia that are owned by the government
(Tuazon, 2015).
The Philippine Media is divided into two when it comes to ownership: government-
owned and private owned and is comprises of three parts: Print (broadsheets, tabloids,
and magazines), Broadcast [Radio and Television] and the Internet (Gayoso, 2015) which
sees a new landscape after its liberation from the Martial Law era (De Jesus, 2007).
Print Media in the Philippines
Print Media has a declined readership among Filipinos nowadays despite being the
oldest form of media (Vera Files, n.d.). In fact, according to a study conducted by the
Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey [FLEMMS] of the Philippine
Standard Classification of Education (n.d.), only one out of ten Filipinos read a newspaper
that makes up a total of only seven million circulations in the country while its counterpart,
magazine is only being read once a week by roughly 30.7 % Filipinos (Tuazon, 2015).
There are two divisions when it comes to Newspapers in the Philippines:
Broadsheets and Tabloids. Among the two, it is the Broadsheets that are larger in size,
15
comparatively higher in price and features a wider variety of stories such as news,
business, and economics, education, health, and information technology among others
that aims to cater to the interest of the elites and middle class who are English speakers.
The Tabloid, on the other hand, is relatively smaller in size and cheaper but is more
popular and sells more among Filipinos that features crime news, and entertainment
stories and is preferred among class C, D, and E (Tuazon, 2015; Guioguio, 2015; Vera
Files, n.d.).
Overall, there are a total of 14 national daily newspapers in the country comprises of
Manila Bulletin, Philippine Daily Inquirer, and Philippine Star among the most popular and
19 tabloids published in Metro Manila where Abante, and People's Journal among the
favorites (Tuazon, 2015).
With the advancement of technology, newspapers agencies such as Inquirer, Star,
and Manila Bulletin expanded their platforms online and part of the most visited websites in
the country (Vera Files, n.d.).
Broadcast Media in the Philippines
There are two classifications for Broadcast in the country: Radio and Television
Networks.
Radio that is comprises of AM stations that offer news, public affairs, public service,
and talk shows while FM stations focus on music and entertainment. Despite being behind
television in terms of popularity with 41.4 % listeners who tune up at least once a week, it
remains to be the most significant medium that can reach even the remote areas in the
country and is the second most trusted source of information (Vera Files, n.d.).
16
Nielsen TV and Radio Audience Measurement (2016) ranked ABS-CBN's radio
station DZMM 630 as the most popular among the 416 radio stations in the country closely
followed behind by GMA's DZBB 594 and government-owned DZRB 738 tied with DZBB in
the third place while Manila Broadcasting Company DZRH 666 came in fourth place but
had the most extensive reach among the other stations.
FM stations which are currently numbered 1,042 and focuses on music and
entertainment is more preferred than AM (2016 Annual Report, 2016).
According to Tuazon (2015), television that started way back 1953 remained as the
most popular and with 81% viewership, and from Vera Files (n.d.) and most trusted source
of information with 44% trust rate among media channels in the country (Philippine Trust
Index, 2017). Among 437 stations nationwide, ABS- CBN Corporation has the largest
viewership with 40.99% followed by GMA Network Incorporated with 39.37%, TV5 Network
Incorporated with 7.6% and Nine Media Corporation with 0.45%.
Internet and Online News in the Philippines
Internet that existed years ago is said to have the most significant impact on the
increase of media consumption of people because of its ability to provide information which
requires less time and effort but it did not entirely replace the traditional media as the
primary source of information but instead acted as a supplement for people to be updated
(Hovstad, 2012).
In the Philippines, the country gained its first internet connection on March 29, 1994,
through the Philippine Network Foundation making internet available to the general public
(Labucay, 2014). Since then, the internet expanded rapidly and now functioned as a
source of news and information (Santos, 2012) among 67 million Filipino users that spent
17
nine hours (9) and twenty-nine (29) minutes every day making the country the top spot of
social media engagement in 2017 (We Are Social Together & Hootsuite, 2018). The
popularity of the use of the internet gave an opportunity to the rise of online news since the
news organization saw the fast-growing increased on numbers of Filipino active internet
users and immediacy in disseminating information. (Arao, 2006).
Arao (2006) retell the rise of online news that started in 1995 when Business World
published their first online edition. Both Gayoso (2015) and Vera Files (n.d.) agreed that
the rapid growth in the number of internet users led the expansion of traditional media to
an online platform where ABS-CBN Online, GMA News Online, Interaksyon, Philippine
Daily Inquirer Online, Manila Bulletin Online, Philippine Star Online, Rappler and Sun Star
among the top online websites.
Despite the rapid increase of online news consumers, various studies showed that
television remains to be the most popular and trusted source of information against other
media though there is still a decline globally due to the shifting of Filipinos to internet as a
source of information rather than listening to radio and print (McMillen, 2013).
The Roles of Media in the Society
As a platform to disseminate information to the public, Media has specific roles in
society. Norris & Odugbemi (2010) categorized these roles into three: as a "watchdog,
agenda setters and gatekeeper" (p.12) where they defined roles as a "set of expectations
governing the behavior of individuals and institutions holding a particular function in
society" (p.12).
Through news coverages, the media is enabling to do its roles. Media performs as a
watchdog of the society by reporting, monitoring and investigating the dominant sectors in
18
the society such as the government and the private sectors by highlighting the programs of
the government and the issues such as incompetence, corruption, and misinformation in
order to maximize transparency to uplift the interest of the public. On the other hand,
media as an agenda setter can only function when there is an investigation since through
investigating followed the creation of news headlines that enable the general public to be
aware regarding the issues which needed immediate attention. Lastly, media by having a
balanced coverage serves as a gatekeeper or a platform that caters diverse opinions and
interests coming from different sectors of the society regarding public concern (Norris &
Odugbemi, 2010).
In the Philippines, media played a significant role in its democracy where it is always
known to challenge those in power. De Jesus (2007) stated that La Solidaridad, a
newspaper created by Filipinos in Europe became an instrument for the oppression of the
natives against the Spanish is well-known. At the same time, through Radio Veritas on
February 23, 1986, the religious leaders of Catholic Church began to encourage every
Filipino to take part on the demonstrations against the Marcos regime and later on resulted
for a peaceful victory to the Filipino people (Woodier, 2008). Another demonstration
against the government happened in 2001 when former President Joseph Estrada
received a series of allegations regarding corruption and jueteng that spread throughout
the whole country. Because of that, another revolution took place at Epifanio de los Santos
Avenue [EDSA] that started from a text message. It encouraged every Filipino to join the
demonstration and wear black to run out the president out of his office. On that event, the
biggest telecommunication companies in the Philippines; Smart Communications Inc. and
Globe Telecom recorded a total of 115 million text messages on January 17-20, 2001 that
is far from the 24.7 million average text messages on a typical day. On this event, media
19
once again played a significant role through the advent of technology to gain what the
people want (Spinner, 2012).
Nowadays, with the massive growth of the internet, the roles of media have changed
significantly over the past years though retaining its original function (Coronel, n.d;
Himelboim & Limor, 2011). Granados (2016) claimed that the roles of media are no longer
restricted to radio, television, and newspapers but has expanded its way to online and
social media. However, De Jesus (2007) claimed that despite this, the media specifically
news organizations are being accused of not fulfilling its role to the society because of
conflict in the interest.
Issues on Mass Media
In order for media organizations to fulfill its role as a source of information in society,
trust should be present among its consumer. However, according to a study conducted by
Fletcher and Newman (2017), there has been a decline of trust on media globally due to
subjected issues where bias in terms of having political and commercial agenda remains to
be the ultimate reason for the decline.
Even the freest press in Asia, the Philippines is not exempted with the accusation of
being bias, where press refers to an agency that disseminates information to the public
while bias is an act of policy stemming from prejudice is defined as political bias in
journalistic reporting and media programming (Quackenbush, 2012, p. 53). The Philippine
Press is often being labeled as biased and producing sensationalized stories aimed to gain
profit and favoring politicians or businessman while attacking the government, and its
officials (Tuazon, 2015). As a "watchdog" of the society, the Philippine Media often find
itself a foe in the government. The biggest fight was when former President Ferdinand
20
Marcos declared Martial Law in the country and ordered the closure of media companies
and arrest of journalists where the press plays a significant role in overthrowing the Marcos
regime (Tuazon, 2015).
While people wanted unbiased media organizations, Quackenbush (2012) argued
that there is no such thing as an "unbiased media." It is impossible and against human
nature to maintain complete objectivity at all times instead, journalist, in order to do their
works, try to be fair and neutral by being objective on giving fairness to any subject of the
news and gathers information with fairness and accuracy. Additionally, Quackenbush
(2012) noted that if media outlet after exhausting efforts to be objective in their coverages,
any discrepancies of its news format and presentation is just accidental and not intentional.
Fake News
An interview with 50 experts in BBC Future Now when asked about the most
significant problem faced in the 21st century revealed to be getting trusted information
(Anderson & Raine, 2017). Aside from the issue mentioned above, another trending global
issue faces by news media organization globally today is the proliferation of Fake News.
Last 2017, Collins Dictionary declared the term “fake news” as the word of the year.
It is defined as "information presented in the form of news reports which are not true and
intentionally and verifiably false with an intention to manipulate readers" (Allcott &
Gentzkow, 2017; Hunt, 2017) and proliferated during the 2016 US Presidential Election
between then-candidates Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton (Pesonen, 2018).
There were different statements revealed regarding the impact of fake news. In the
US and the Philippines, it is said to confuse with the information on current events and the
way of life-based on polls conducted by Pew Research Center and Social Weather
21
Stations [SWS] (Barthel, Mitchell & Holcomb, 2016; Majority of Filipinos see fake news as
'serious problem' – survey, 2018; Pesonen, 2018). In other countries such as at Germany
and Malaysia, they take the step to the next level in combating fake news by passing a bill
punishing those who published fake news (Graauwmans, 2016; U.S State Department
Concerned by Malaysia's 'Fake News' bill, 2018). The passing of the bills made the
government of the United States concerned about the possibility of a threat to freedom of
expression in Malaysia (U.S State Department Concerned by Malaysia's 'Fake News' bill,
2018).
Graauwamns (2016) claims that the proliferation of fake news is because of the
Internet, which offers low-cost distribution channels through forums, blogs and social
media sites which caters a vast amount of audiences throughout the world. Schackmuth
(2018) supported Graauwamns' idea by stating that the "share button" feature of social
media sites such as Facebook and Twitter have made it easier for fake news to spread to
audiences globally since users will be able to share the news by just clicking the "share
button" through a single click. On another study by Soon and Goh (2017), when evaluating
the credibility of the information or the news source, people are more likely to be skeptical
on the information if their friends share it because of the trust present in the friendship.
However, Anderson and Raine (2017) argued that technology could also be used to deal
with the challenge of combating fake news by naming trusted sources for news.
Profile of Rappler.com
Rappler was born as the first independent online news organization in the
Philippines. It started in 2011 from a Facebook page Move.PH that is currently their partner
for citizen journalism. It was launched on January 2012 (Vera Files, n.d.) by their chair,
22
Manny Ayala, s as President; Vice President Glenda Gloria together with Treasurer
Raymund Miranda and Board Member Nix Nolledo (Rappler's Founding Board, 2012).
Rappler Holdings Corporation owned by Rappler Incorporated also created a branch at
Jakarta, Indonesia in 2014 (Vera Files, n.d.). Rappler's total ownership includes the most
significant share from Dolphin Fire Group that comprises 31.21 % which is larger than from
the Rappler's President, Maria Ressa who has 23.77 % shares. Along with that, Hatch
Group and Benjamin So own 17.86 % of the company according to Security Exchange
Commission (2018).
According to Rappler, their name comes from the collaboration of the word “rap”
which means to discuss and “ripple” which means to make waves, with a connotation to
make change by connecting technology and social media (About Rappler, 2011).
Believing that a collective answer from a group of people is better than one expert
opinion, the organization gives more importance to the emotional condition of the readers
on the story they have produced. Hence, a mood meter on every article posted on
Rappler's website is present. Aside from that, they also have a goal to connect with the
opinion of the netizens as they vision to give hope, inspire and encourage transparency
and to be responsible to the society (About Rappler, 2011).
After its creation two years ago, it was declared as the third most visited news
website in the Philippines by Alexa (Rappler is PH's 3rd top news site-Alexa, 2013).
Rappler currently ranks fourth in the most visited online news website in the Philippines on
September 2018 with 72.5% percent of visitors which is equivalent to 474,385 daily page
views (Top Sites in Philippines, 2018).
Then in 2015, the organization got an award from the World Summit Award for its
contribution to society through a new way of digital broadcasting. They were the only Asian
organization included in the Media and News Category (Rappler wins UN's 2015 World
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Summit Award, 2015). On April 2018, the organization announced its partnership with
Facebook as a third-party-fact-checking organization together with Vera Files that aims to
identify and reduce the spread of false news in the social media platform (Magsambol,
2018). Aside from this, Rappler has been a member International Fact-Checking Network
[IFCN] of Poynter since 2017, an organization dedicated to providing online and personal
training, checking online articles and promoting standard principles in fact checking
(Commit to transparency — sign up for the International Fact-Checking Network's code of
principles, n.d.)
Currents Issues against Rappler
Even with the recognition achieved, it did not exempt Rappler from the allegations
made by President Rodrigo Duterte and was labeled as a "fake news organization" in his
speeches particularly on his second State of the Nation Address [SONA] (Lopez, 2017).
On January 2018, the series of allegations made by the president encouraged the
Security Exchange Commission [SEC] to conduct an official investigation on Rappler's
ownership. President Rodrigo Duterte stated on his second State of the Nation Address
last July 2017 that Americans own Rappler (Lopez, 2017). The questioning of Rappler's
foreign ownership was brought this time by Securities and Exchange Commission that is a
violation to 1987 Constitution's Foreign Equity Restrictions in Mass Media implemented
through Mass Media Law (1987 Philippine Constitution, Article 16, & Section 11), Anti-
Dummy Law (Commonwealth Act No. 108), and the Foreign Investment Act (Republic Act
7042) (DOJ orders probe into Rappler's possible constitutional violation, 2018).
Even before the allegations fired up, the Office of the Solicitor General sent a letter to
Commission On En Banc on December 14, 2016. The letter requested to investigate
Rappler Incorporation's Philippine Depository Receipts [PDR] to Omidyar Network Fund

24
and NBM Rappler, a north base media unit from Washington D.C. (Security Exchange
Commission, 2018). Philippine Depository Receipts is an instrument for the company to
sell the existing share to foreign investors (Philippine Stock Exchange, Inc.-Glossary, n.d.).
Letting the investors have the right to manage it and expand up to 40% (Araullo,
2018). It is also to check if they violated any law from the 1987 Philippine Constitution.
Then through Security Exchange Commission Resolution 438 Series of 2017, En Banc
created Special Panel to conduct the formal investigation. After series of investigations, on
January 11, 2018, the Security of Exchange Commission ordered to cancel the Certificate
of Incorporation to Rappler Inc. According to the order, Rappler Holdings Corporation has
been an alternative to Rappler Inc. as a media organization that violated the Foreign Equity
Restrictions in Mass Media and then transferred the case to the Department of Justice
(Security Exchange Commission, 2018). After six days, on January 17, 2018, through
Department Order No. 17, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II ordered National Bureau of
Investigation to investigate to verify any violation of Rappler Inc. to the Philippine
Constitution. Currently, the company is still waiting for the final decision of the Department
of Justice and National Bureau of Investigation regarding their case and still operational
(DOJ orders probe into Rappler's possible constitutional violation, 2018).
Internet Penetration to Filipino Youth and College Students in the Philippines
On the recent study released by EON Group about Philippine Trust Index, the
general public has 15 % extreme trust and 39 % moderate trust to online news sites. On
the other hand, online news sites garnered 12 % extreme trust and 48 % moderate trust
from the informed public (Philippine Trust Index, 2017).

25
The Philippines ranked 22nd in the world with high internet penetration according to
the study conducted by We Are Social Together with Hootsuite in 2018. The study also
said that the growth in internet use in the country went up to 12% compared to last year.
Filipinos spend an average of four point thirteen hours on social media making Facebook
the most visited social media site followed by Google.com.ph, Google.com, and
Youtube.com. We Are Social Together with Hootsuite also stated on their latest study that
15% of Filipino smartphone users engage their selves in checking the news online (We Are
Social Together with Hootsuite, 2018).
The population of young people keeps on proliferating. Based on the latest
demographics by the Philippine Statistics Authority, more than half of the Philippines'
population has an age of 15- 64 comprises of 64,035,924 people (National Quickstat for
2018, 2018). Meanwhile, Philippine Standard Classification of Education's ideal age for
college students range from 16- 20 years old (Philippine Standard Classification of
Education, n.d.).
Communication and Journalism related degree programs were first offered back in
1970, from 13 institutions in the Philippines. In 1987, it went up to 42 institutions. The first
institution to offer Journalism or Communication degree programs was the University of the
Philippines. The programs born in 1919 but did not pull off because of the shortage in the
university budget.
Meanwhile, the University of Santo Tomas was the oldest running institution offering
programs in Journalism. In 1936, Bachelor of Literature in Journalism was offered by UST
under the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters that was later on united with the College of
26
Liberal Arts in 1964. It led to the founding of the Faculty of Arts and Letters in the university
(Gapasin, Mirandilla, San Pascual & Sanqui, 2008).
On the other hand, the University of the Philippines established the Institute of Mass
Communication in 1965. Since then, the university started to offer undergraduate and
postgraduate programs (University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication
History, n.d.). Ateneo in Davao, Naga, Zamboanga, St. Paul in Iloilo, Manila, Quezon City,
and followed by University of the Philippines in Los Baños, Baguio, Cebu and Tacloban
also started to offer Communication or Journalism courses that cause the growth of
Journalism education in the Philippines (Gapasin, Mirandilla, San Pascual & Sanqui,
2008). As of July 2018, there are 29,114 of students enrolled in courses related to
Journalism and Communication courses in the Philippines (Commission on Higher
Education Higher Education Statistical Data, 2018).
Communication Courses at Centro Escolar University
The School of Education—Liberal Arts—Music—Social Work of Centro Escolar
University caters Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication major in Broadcast, Mass
Communication major in Journalism, Mass Communication major in Performing Arts under
Liberal Arts Program. The three courses also have a curriculum that includes units in
Education (Centro Escolar University Programs Offered, 2015). These undergraduate
programs are Level IV accredited by Accrediting Agency for Chartered Colleges and
Universities in the Philippines (Centro Escolar University Education—Liberal Arts—
Music—Social Work, n.d.). Liberal arts program aspires to lead the media industry through
imparting appropriate skills to students that will help in developing work ethics in the field. It
also aims to use the present media to encourage tamper awareness with the current
27
events in society and politics and be involved in activities that will help to raise patriotism
(Centro Escolar University Education Liberal Arts Programs Objectives, n.d.). According to
the list provided by the Centro Escolar University Mass Communication Program Office
(Centro Escolar University Mass Communication Program Office, personal communication,
September 18, 2018), Mass Communication courses have 149 enrolled students for the
first semester of the academic year 2018- 2019.
Communication Courses at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines
According to the Information and Communications Technology Office (Information
and Communications Technology Office, personal communication, August 22, 2018),
undergraduate communication students at Polytechnic University of the Philippines
currently comprises 1,750 populations for the first semester of the academic year 2018-
2019. It comprises of four undergraduate programs namely: Bachelor of Arts in Journalism,
Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Communication, Bachelor of Arts in Communication
Research and Bachelor in Advertising and Public Relations.
On May 2001, four undergraduate degree programs are all now under the College of
Communication. Initially, the college came from the College of Languages and Mass
Communication (College of Communication History, n.d.).
In 1979, Mrs. Norma Martinez, Mr. Leonardo Garcia, and Professor Samuel
Fernandez designed the Bachelor in Business Journalism program. Bachelor in Business
Journalism curriculum was then renamed to Bachelor in Broadcast Communication and
Bachelor in Journalism; then, on the same year, a separate program was added under the
College of Arts and Sciences formerly Faculty of Arts and Science.

28
The dream conversion of the Department of Mass Communication to College of
Communication came true in 2001 after it received a strong recommendation from the
AACCUP. Then in 2006, a third program of the college Bachelor in Communication
Research was introduced at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, the only second
university to offer the program. On 2012, Bachelor in Advertising and Public Relations was
added to the degree programs from the College of Communication (College of
Communication History, n.d.). Since then, the College of Communication's mission is to
provide an excellent education in communication and produce graduates that have globally
competitive quality from levels of undergraduate and postgraduate (College of
Communication Mission and Goals, n.d.)
Communication Courses at the University of Makati
According to the University of Makati College of Arts and Letters office (K. Lopez,
personal interview, September 24, 2018), communication and journalism-related courses
in the university comprise of Bachelor of Arts Broadcast Production and Bachelor of Arts in
Multimedia which has 173 students and Bachelor of Arts in Communication Service and
Management that has 172 students. University of Makati College of Arts and Letters office
also said that Department of Broadcast Production focuses on teaching students to
enhance skills with television and radio production, media ethics, journalism, and aims to
integrate principles to students and prepare them to be globally competitive media
practitioners. Meanwhile, Department of Multimedia aims to teach students the principles
and concepts in filmmaking. Department of Communication Service and Management
impart knowledge, concepts, theories, and principles concerning public relations,
organizational communication and service management.

29
Undergraduate programs related to communication and journalism are new courses
at the University of Makati. Bachelor of Arts Broadcast Production started in 2016 under
College for Broadcast and Digital Arts. Meanwhile, Bachelor of Arts in Communication
Service and Management was under the College of Arts, Sciences, and Education
(University of Makati Undergraduate Student Handbook, 2016). According to the College of
Arts and Letters Office (K. Lopez, personal interview, September 24, 2018), on 2017,
Bachelor of Arts in Communication Service and Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Production
became part of the College of Arts and Letters that was a newly added College to the
University of Makati after its transfer. On 2018, the administration of the college decided to
add Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia and will replace Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast
Production after second to fourth-year students enrolled in the program graduate.
The Credibility of Online Media
Seeking and encountering information is part of everyday lives; however, a human
has limited skill in retaining information. As a result, people seek information based on
what is useful and what is needed. (Wathen and Burkell, 2002). However, the emergence
of Internet-based information created a diversified and abundant source of information. It
formed an environment that allows low cost and hassle-free information production. The
change brought by the new environment cause a massive production of information turning
receiver to the sender. Later on, complicate the way of assessing the credibility of online
media (Callister Jr., 2000).
The context of credibility in mass media formed definitions based on different
medium or source. Self (1996) defined credibility as the believability, trust, and perceived
reliability of the source. While Hovland, Janis and Kelly (1953) defined credibility as the
30
source trustworthiness and expertise. Recent studies on credibility describe and define
credibility as a long term process. According to Sobel (2012), credibility is consistent
production of accurate, valuable information and responsible action making a sender or a
source, credible. However, in order to assess the credibility, the receiver must have a
specific same preference on the source. Thus, developing preferences for a sender or
source is a long process. According to Mere exposure effect, people must undergo a
repeated exposure to increase familiarity and develop preferences (Zajonc, 2003).
A recent study made by Chung, Nam and Stefanone (2012) form preferences to
investigate the contribution of technological factors to credibility perception on online news
media. The study assessed the credibility using Trustworthiness, Expertise from Hovland,
adding technological factors like Interactivity, Hypertextuality, and Multimediality. The result
of the study showed that only Hypertextuality affects the perceived credibility of the readers
since it allows easy access, share information to social media sites such as Facebook,
Twitter, and Instagram and read related news articles from their website even after a long
period that helps users understand issues more deeply. On the contrary, Flanagin and
Metzger (2011) recognize Interactivity and Multimediality as "shortcuts" used by the
receiver in assessing the credibility of information. Moreover, according to the study, a big
portion of users rely on superficial aspects [this includes typography, font size, and color
schemes] of the website instead of systematically evaluating the content. Soon & Goh
(2017) added that receiver who could freely give an opinion and share news as a feature of
website tend to process information as less systematically and more heuristically due to
the effect called "self-as-source" where customization increases users' perceived control
and identity making them more persuaded by the message content.

31
Synthesis
The Philippine Media from print and broadcast is one of the oldest and the freest
media in Asia for its liberal stand against those in power that brought upon the democracy
in the country. Media that performs as a watchdog of the society is responsible for
upholding the interest of the public by monitoring the public and the private sector, as an
agenda setter that promotes issues concerning the public that is need of immediate
attention and as a gatekeeper that serves as a platform to cater the diverse opinions and
interests of different sectors in the society.
Due to the rapid growth of the internet, over the past years, there has been an
increase in the number of internet users in the country particularly the youth who
considered the internet as the primary source of information resulting on the increase in
their trust in online news than in its traditional counterpart. In 2012, Rappler, the first all-
digital news organization in the Philippines headed by veteran journalists Maria Ressa,
Glenda Gloria, Chai Holifeña, and Beth Fendoroso was born. Rappler believes in the
importance of the emotional condition of online news readers and aims to connect to the
opinion of the public about current events through the use of a “crowd meter” or
“crowdsourcing tool” that measure the emotions of the reader.
Five years after being established and during the prevalent talked of fake news
spreading online around the world particularly after the 2016 US Presidential Election, the
issue reached the country after the current president, Rodrigo Duterte accused Rappler of
releasing fake news that later on lead to questions about the online news organization
ownership.
Based on the literature there is a need to study because no other literature has
focused on the credibility of the traditional [trustworthiness and expertise] and
technological [Multimediality, Interactivity, and Hypertextuality] dimension of an online

32
news organization in the country. It is also interesting to know that despite the issues of
proliferation of fake news online, there is still no scientifically basis whether there is indeed
low credibility in the traditional and technological dimension of news in online platform
particularly Rappler who was significantly accused by President Duterte, which
researchers think is a research gap.

33
Chapter 3
METHODOLOGY
Method of Research
To attain a more structured and predetermined accuracy in the output of the
research study, the researchers adapted a quantitative approach. As defined by Kumar
(2011), Quantitative research is designed to classify and measures the information needed
in the study to explain a particular situation, phenomenon, problem or an attitude towards
an issue.
On the technique of analysis, a descriptive research method was used by the
researchers to define the perceived credibility by communication students from the
different university in Metro Manila towards Rappler. According to Glass and Hopkins
(1984), descriptive research aims to describe a situation that exists within the time of the
study. The method involves data that can be organized and tabulates in numerical form to
describe, explain and validate the output of the study that helped the researchers in
presenting, interpreting, and comprehensively analyzing information.
Population, Sample Size, and Sampling Technique
The study aims to know the perceived credibility of communication students from the
selected universities in Metro Manila towards Rappler. The target population of the study
was composed of the Polytechnic University of Philippines with 1,750 communication

34
students, Centro Escolar University with 149 communication students and the University of
Makati with 345 students from communication-related courses.
To obtain the sample size needed to represent the population of each university, the
researchers used a sampling calculator provided by the site of the National Business
Research Institute [NBRI] with 5 percent margin of error, 95 percent confidence level and
50 percent response distribution. For Polytechnic University of the Philippines, the
researchers obtained 316 students, 108 students for Centro Escolar University and 183
students for the University of Makati.
The researchers used a Simple Random Sampling under the random or probability
sampling technique. According to Easton and McColl (2014), Simple Random Sampling is
a technique where the researchers select a group of an individual from a large population,
giving every individual a fair chance to be included in the study. In this study, simple
random sampling was conducted by the researchers by utilizing the list of section given by
each university registrar.
Description of Respondents
The respondents of the research study were the communication students from
Centro Escolar University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines and the University of
Makati for the academic year 2018-2019. The universities were selected based on their
administration’s response and approval on the letter of request sent by the researchers.
35
Table 1
Distribution of Respondents per University for the Academic Year 2018-2019
University with Communication

Sample size
Courses
Polytechnic University of the Philippines 316
Centro Escolar University 108
University of Makati 183
Total 607
From a sampling calculator provided by the site of National Business Research
Institute, a total of 108 respondents were from Centro Escolar University. On the total
respondents, 28 were from Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication major in Broadcast,
and then 12 were from Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication major in Broadcast with
18 units of education. Then on Journalism department, 19 were from Bachelor of Arts in
Mass Communication major in Journalism, two were from Bachelor of Arts in Mass
Communication major in Journalism with 18 units of education. 14 from Bachelor of Arts in
Mass Communication major in Performing Arts, two from Bachelor of Arts in Mass
Communication major in Performing Arts with 18 units of education, 15 from
Communication and Media and 16 from Communication and Media with 18 units of
education.
On the other hand, a total of 316 respondents were from Polytechnic University of
the Philippines. Researchers got 79 students from each course to be part of the
respondents namely; Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast
Communication, Bachelor of Arts in Communication Research and Bachelor in Advertising
and Public Relations. Then lastly, a total of 183 respondents were from the University of
Makati. Ninety-seven students were from two undergraduate programs which are;
Bachelor of Arts Broadcast Production and Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia.

36
Meanwhile, 86 students were from Bachelor of Arts in Communication Service and
Management. The total respondents of this study are 607 students. A significant majority of
respondents is female which is equivalent to 429 or 70.7 %. Meanwhile, the highest
numbers of respondents are male which is equivalent to 178 or 29.3 %.
Research Instrument
To collect relevant data about the perceived credibility of communication students on
Rappler as an online news organization, the researchers used a self-administered survey
questionnaire validated by Professor Danilo Arao, an associate professor at the
Department of Journalism at the University of the Philippines-Diliman and an expert at the
field of online news journalism.
The validated survey questionnaire used in this study has five parts. The first part
includes the age, gender, and educational background of the respondents. The second
part consists of a skip logic question where if the respondent answered no he/she could
stop answering the questionnaire and must return it to the researchers, next was the
frequency question about how often a respondent visit the online news website. The third
part is about the purpose of visiting the Rappler's website that composed of multiple
response questions with five general statements and another space for answers are not
included on the given choices. The fourth part is for the level of agreement or the attitude
of the respondents on the "Fake News" accusations against Rappler. This part contains
ten general statements. The last part contains 20 general statements proportionately
divided in terms of Trustworthiness, Expertise, Interactivity, Multimediality and
Hypertextuality that aims to know the perceived credibility of the communication students
37
towards Rappler as an online news organization.
From part four to the last part of the survey questionnaire, Likert-scale response was
used on the level of agreement to measure the attitudes of the respondents to a statement
(Sullivan & Artino, 2013), whereas 1 as Never, 2 as Rarely, 3 as Sometimes, 4 as Often
and 5 as Always (Vagias, 2006).
Data Gathering Procedure
This study used two types of data: primary and secondary. The primary data are the
answers given by the respondents in the survey questionnaire provided by the
researchers. The primary data were from a survey questionnaire answered by
communication students of Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Centro Escolar
University, and the University of Makati. On the other hand, secondary data were studies
published in the form of journals, books, and articles related to the study.
The researchers sent letters of request to survey five universities around Metro
Manila, but only two of the universities replied with their approval. For Centro Escolar
University, by the dean of the School of Education-Liberal Arts-Music-Social Work, Dr. Ma.
Rita D. Lucas and was directed to the Communication program head, Professor Ricky
Rosales, For the University of Makati, the request was accepted and approved by the
president of the university, Professor Tomas Lopez. Later on, Dr. Elyxur Ramos the Vice
President for Academic Affairs of the university supervised the request. For the Polytechnic
University of the Philippines, the researchers started from the 28th day of August up to the
7th day of September 2018. For Centro Escolar University, the researchers started on the
18th day of September up to the 22nd day of the same month. For the University of Makati,
38
the researchers started to survey from the 24th day of September last up to the 29th day of
the same month. The time consumed in requesting approval from the university and the
availability or the schedule of the students resulted in month-long data collection. After the
data collection, on September 29, the data was encoded using Microsoft Excel then, later
on, was converted to Google form. Ms. Reneline Par, a statistician aide at Institutional
Planning Office [IPO] of Polytechnic University of the Philippines, worked on the
computation and treatment of the data at the same time certify and validated the accuracy
of the statistical result of the study.
Statistical Treatment of Data
The respondents of the research were the communication students of the
Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Centro Escolar University, and the University of
Makati. To obtain the sample size that represents the population of communication
students from each university, the researchers used a sampling calculator provided by the
site of National Business Research Institute [NBRI] with five percent margin of error.
To compile, sort, tabulate and calculate the data, the statistician used a
computerized analysis package known as Statistical Package for Social Science 20.0
[SPSS]. The following statistical treatment was used to answer the specific problems of the
study.
1. Percentage formula determined the respondents' frequency of visiting Rappler's
website.
39
Percentage formula
Where:
%= Percentage
= Frequency
= Total number of respondents
2. To determine the perception of respondents on the accusation against Rappler
releasing Fake news and the perceived credibility on Rappler as online news in
terms of the five dimension of credibility, the researchers used the formula of
Weighted Mean.
Weighted Mean Formula
Where:
= mean sample measurements
∑ = summation
f= frequency of values
n= total no. of respondents

40
3. The following legends were used to determine the oral interpretation of the
weighted mean. Whereas 1.00-1.80 is for Strongly Disagree, 1.81-2.60 is for
Disagree, 2.61-3.40 is for Neutral, 3.41-4.20 is for Agree and 4.21-5.00 is for
Strongly Agree.
Ms. Reneline Par, a statistician aide at Institutional Planning Office [IPO] of
Polytechnic University of the Philippines, validated the statistical formula, the treatment as
well as the value of legends and oral interpretation applied on the result.
41
Chapter 4
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
This chapter shows the data gathered through survey questionnaires comprises of
607 communication students as respondents from the Polytechnic University of the
Philippines, Centro Escolar University, and the University of Makati. The data were tallied
and tabulated and now presented according to the order stated in the statement of the
problem and followed by discussion and interpretation of data supported by written related
works of literature.
I. The frequency of Visiting Rappler's Website
Table 2
The frequency of Visiting Rappler’s Website
Rappler’s Website Visit f %

Yes 447 73.6
No 160 26.4
Total 607 100.00
Table 2 shows the frequency of respondents' visit to Rappler's website. The big
majority of the result which is 447 or 73.6 % answered yes in visiting Rappler's website.
On the other hand, the most significant number of respondents that is equivalent to 160 or
26.4 % answered no.
The result indicates that the significant majority of the respondents visit Rappler's
website. On September 2018, Rappler ranked fourth in the most visited online news
website in the Philippines. It has 72.5% visitors which is equivalent to 474,385 daily page
views (Rappler.com Traffic Statistics, 2018). Also, the Philippines ranked 22nd in the world
42
that has high internet penetration according to the study conducted by We Are Social
Together with Hootsuite in 2018. The study also said that the growth in internet use in the
country went up to 12% compared to last year (We Are Social Together with Hootsuite,
2018). Concerning these, on the national survey conducted by an agency called EON, it
revealed that Filipinos have more trust with social media than the traditional media. 87.3 %
trust in social media while 73.4 % still have trust in traditional media. Despite the result of
the study, traditional media which are newspapers, television, and radio is still the most
trusted media channel generally by the Filipinos. 89 % trust rating to television, 85 % trust
rating to radio and 75 % for the newspaper (Philippine Trust Index, 2017).
Table 2.1
Frequency and Percentage Distribution of Respondents’ Visit to Rappler’s Website
Rappler’s Website Visit f %

Once a day 54 12.1
2-3 times a week 36 8.1
Once a week 136 30.4
Once a month 128 28.6
Others 93 20.8
Total 447 100
Table 2.1 shows that 136 respondents or 30.4% visit Rappler’s website once a
week which has the highest frequency. Second, 128 or 28.6% of the respondents engage
their selves to Rappler’s website once a month. Meanwhile, 93 or 20.8% of respondents
chose others in the option and specifically stated how often they visit Rappler’s website.
Following that is 54 respondents who answered once a day which is equivalent to 12.1%.
Then lastly, 36 or 8.1% of the respondents stated that they visit Rappler’s website 2-3
times a week.
The results imply that the highest number which is 136 or 30.4% of respondents
visit Rappler's website once a week. It tells that the respondents do not have a regular visit
43
to the website of Rappler. Based on the study of We Are Social Together with Hootsuite,
in 2018, Filipinos spend an average of 4.13 hours on social media where Rappler
frequently appears. Facebook is the most visited social media site followed by
Google.com.ph, Google.com, and Youtube.com. We Are Social Together with Hootsuite
also stated on their latest study that 15% of Filipino smartphone users engage their selves
in checking the news online (We Are Social Together with Hootsuite, 2018).
II. Purpose of Visiting Rappler’s Website
Table 3
Frequency and Rank Distribution of Respondents Purpose on Visiting Rappler’s
Website
Purpose f r
To be informed by reading the latest
stories on the news, business, features,
sports, technology, entertainment and
310 1
weather reports in the Philippines and the
world.
To watch the latest news on politics,

technology, business, and sports through
newscasts, documentaries,
commentaries, entertainment features, 185 2
exclusive coverage
and, animation.
To read investigative reports.

94 3
To be entertained.
78 4
22
Others
18
a. To get information for research or
assignments
1 5
b. Assigned in monitoring news
1
c. Redirected to interesting articles
1
d. To know Rappler’s perspective to an issue
e. Headline is intriguing
1
*Multiple response questions
44
Table 3 shows the ranking of frequency for respondents' purpose in visiting
Rappler's website. Researchers used multiple responses question for this. The top
purpose of respondents which has 310 frequencies is to get information by reading the
latest stories on the news, business, features, sports, technology, entertainment, and
weather reports in the Philippines and the world. Next was by the purpose of watching
videos about the latest news on politics, technology, business, and sports through
newscasts, documentaries, commentaries, entertainment features, exclusive coverage and
animation that has 185 frequencies. With 94 frequencies, the purpose of reading
investigative reports ranked third. To be entertained has 78 frequencies ranked fourth.
Then lastly, other reasons have 22 frequencies.
The data imply that respondents' main purpose in visiting Rappler's website is to get
information by reading the latest stories on the news, business, features, sports,
technology, entertainment and weather reports in the Philippines and in the world which
has 310 frequencies. Relying upon media for information is the implication of the study
conducted by the Philippine Trust Index in 2017. 288 out of 1,200 respondents or 28% who
use social media trust the media. 39% of General Public have moderate trust in online
news sites while 48 % from Informed Public. On the same study, 52 % of informed public's
top reason for trusting the media is their competent and professional broadcasters followed
by getting a good quality of news report. (Philippine Trust Index, 2017).

45
III. Perception of the Respondents on the Accusation Against Rappler on
Releasing “Fake News”
Table 4
Mean Score of the Respondents’ Assessment towards the Accusation on Rappler on
Releasing “Fake News”
Weighted Verbal
Fake News Interpretation
Mean
Rappler is a credible source of news
3.46 Agree
Rappler deliberately releases news articles
without validating if the information is
2.94 Neutral
accurate or not.
Rappler focuses on commenting on issues

rather than objectively disseminates
3.30 Neutral
information.
Rappler sensationalizes news by

exaggerating the information presented in
3.28 Neutral
order to catch readers’ interest.
Rappler twists their reporting in order to fit

their viewpoint or agenda. 3.13 Neutral
Rappler shape and influence public opinion

toward political issues. 3.57 Agree
Rappler’s reports aim to discredit and

generate online hate against the
administration of President Rodrigo 3.06 Neutral
Duterte.
Rappler deliberately produces hoax news

stories to make a profit or to gain influence. 2.78 Neutral
The accusation to Rappler as a news

organization that releases fake news
3.16 Neutral
articles has no factual basis.
Rappler’s credibility as an online news

organization is negatively affected by the
3.47 Agree
“fake news” outlet accusation.
Grand Weighted Mean 3.21 Neutral

Legend: 4.21-5.00 Strongly Agree (SA), 3.41-4.20 Agree (A), 2.61-3.40 Neutral (N), 1.81-2.60
Disagree (D), 1.00-1.80 Strongly Disagree (SD)
46
Table 4 presents the mean and verbal description of respondents' assessment
towards the accusation on Rappler, releasing fake news. The data show that three out of
10 statements were assessed by the respondents as agree and the rest remain neutral.
Overall, the respondents assessed the accusation about Rappler releasing fake news as
neutral with a weighted mean of 3.21.
The data reveals that the respondents are undecided or still unsure of their opinion
when it comes to the accusation on Rappler releasing fake news. According to the study
made by DeMars and Erwin (2005), the average response tends to get the high response
indicates the respondents' rejection of the concept that applying conscious effort to give an
opinion on a particular issue is not possible.
Although the respondents agree with the statement “Rappler shapes and influence
public opinion towards political issues” that indicated they still recognize and expect the
function of Rappler as a news organization. According to Noris and Odugbemi (2010), the
public expected media to be credible in terms of releasing information on political issues
since their role is to perform as a watchdog of the society by reporting, monitoring and
investigating the government identities on issues involving incompetency, corruption, and
misinformation.
47
IV. Perception of the Respondents on the Credibility of Rappler as an Online News
Organization in terms of Trustworthiness, Expertise, Interactivity,
Multimediality, and Hypertextuality
Table 5.1
Mean Score of the Respondents’ Assessment towards Rappler’s Credibility in terms
of Trustworthiness of News Content
Weighted Verbal
Trustworthiness of News Content
Mean Interpretation
Rappler is fair in presenting news

articles by getting both sides of the
3.170 Neutral
story.
Rappler is unbiased by remaining

neutral in presenting news articles. 3.04 Neutral
Rappler presents news based on facts

3.27 Neutral
rather than feelings or opinions.
Rappler presents various articles

regardless if it is about the government
3.56 Agree
or private sectors in the society in order
to inform the public.
Rappler covers relevant news stories

locally and internationally. 3.58 Agree
Grand Weighted Mean 3.32 Neutral

Legend: 4.21-5.00 Strongly Agree (SA), 3.41-4.20 Agree (A), 2.61-3.40 Neutral (N), 1.81-
2.60 Disagree (D), 1.00-1.80 Strongly Disagree (SD)
Hovland, Janis, and Kelly (1953) defined Source Credibility Theory as the
perceived credibility of the source that could affect how the receiver views the information
represented by Trustworthiness of News Content that is defined as being fair, unbiased,
objective, and diverse in giving an opinion on a specific issue. Table 5.1 presents the mean
and verbal description of respondents’ assessment towards Rappler’s credibility in terms of
trustworthiness in news content. The data shows that two out of five statements were
assessed by the respondents as agree while the rest remain neutral.

48
The frequency and the amount of website use establish the assessment of the
respondents towards Rappler’s news content. Zajonc (1968) claimed on his Mere
Exposure Effect Theory that continuous exposure increases a person interest to give a
reaction. Thus, answering neutral on three out of five statements indicates that once a
week or once a month visit on Rappler’s website is not enough time for the respondents to
give an evaluation to the news content of Rappler’s website.
However, the two statements assessed by the respondents as agree to pertain to
Rappler's function of publishing news stories. According to Biddle's (1986), Role theory,
people predict the purpose based on the supposed role attached to a particular position.
Thus, this justifies the primary role of media which is to provide information that keeps
people updated (Hovstad, 2012).

49
Table 5.2
of Expertise of Journalists
Weighted Verbal
Expertise of Journalists
Mean Interpretation
Rappler’s journalists present accurate and
up-to-date information on news articles they
3.50 Agree
produce.
Rappler's journalists have an educational

background and professional experiences in
3.64 Agree
the field of news.
Rappler's journalists follow the ethical

principles of their profession regardless of 3.28 Neutral
the situation.
Rappler’s journalists create the context of

the news they produce by considering their 3.40 Neutral
multiple audiences.
Rappler’s journalists present all important

points on every issue. 3.34 Neutral
Grand Weighted Mean 3.43 Agree

The expertise of journalist refers to the degree wherein the source of information is
perceived as valid and reliable as defined by Hovland, Janis and Kelly (1953) in Source
Credibility Theory. Table 5.2 presents the mean and verbal description of respondents’
assessment towards Rappler’s credibility in terms of their journalists’ expertise. The data
shows that the respondents assessed two out of five statements as agree.
According to Zajonc (1968), the familiarity effect takes place when there is repeated
exposure. The overall assessment on journalists' expertise reveals that once a week or
once a month frequency of visit on Rappler's website does not implicate as repeated
exposure, therefore, to attain familiarity with the Rappler's journalists, it is not enough time
for the respondents.

50
Contradictory with the lack of familiarity, the respondents assessed the statement
about Rappler's journalist educational background and professional experience as agree.
According to Markham (1968) reliable-logical factor, a person who is evaluating an
unfamiliar sender changes his focus to the content of the message composed by the
sender. This study explains the respondents' assessment towards Rappler's journalist
despite lack of knowledge on journalists' educational and professional background.
Table 5.3
of Interactivity of News Presentation
Verbal
News Presentation Weighted
Interpretatio
Interactivity Mean
n
Rappler allows readers to leave comments
or respond to the posted articles on their
website encouraging people to participate 3.83 Agree
in the discussion.
Rappler allows readers to add or modify

information on the news articles
3.01 Neutral
presented.
Rappler allows readers to choose an

article of interest from the list of sections
3.75 Agree
on their website.
Rappler's mood meter (an interactive tool

that enables readers to select what they
feel about an article) give readers the
3.61 Agree
freedom to express their feeling on a
particular article.
Rappler allows readers to follow the news

site and easily share news articles through
3.89 Agree
social networking sites like Facebook,
Twitter, and Instagram.
3.62 Agree
Grand Weighted Mean
51
Interactivity refers to how the news site enables readers to respond, reply or modify
a news article as defined in the study conducted by Chung, Nam and Stefanone (2012).
Table 5.3 presents the mean and verbal description of respondents' assessment on
Rappler's Interactivity in presenting news. The data on the table shows that four out of five
statements garnered an agree result among the respondents stating that Rappler is an
interactive website that allows readers to respond, choose an article of interest, express
their feelings and to share news articles posted on Rappler's website. The respondents
assessed only one out of five statements as Neutral with a weighted mean of 3.01 which is
Rappler allow readers to add or modify information on the news articles presented.
Overall, with the grand weighted mean of 3.62 as agree, the result shows that
Rappler is interactive when presenting news articles on their website. Wherein according
to Chung, Nam and Stefanone (2012), Interactivity refers on how news site enables
readers to respond, reply, comment or even modifies a news article; a new feature only
offered in new media that became a useful variable in communication between the readers
and the news content.
The research conducted by Soon and Goh (2017) stating that users who customized
their news website according to their interest perceive a website credible supports the
result of this study. It is because the information presented to them is within their interest
or so called as the self-as-source effect where users tend to be less skeptical of
information they encounter and more persuaded on the message content. However, if
Rappler allows readers to add or modify information on the news article, the respondents
answered Neutral since Rappler only let the readers submit their article but never add or
modify information on the article posted on their website since it can result to
misinformation of facts and Rappler releasing unreliable information.

52
Also, according to Schackmuth (2018), the share button feature of social media
sites has made it easier to spread the news to the global audience and trust the source to
audiences globally since users will be able to share the news by just clicking the share
button. Findings on the study of Soon and Goh (2017) indicates that when assessing the
credibility of information or source, people are most likely to be skeptical about the
information if it is shared by friends because there is a trust present in the friendship.
Table 5.4
of Multimediality of News Presentation
Weighted Verbal
News Presentation: Multimediality
Mean Interpretation
Rappler's website is easy to use and has an
appealing visual appearance that displays a
high level of artistic creativity on its layout 3.72 Agree
and graphics.
The text-based news articles published on

the website are readable and consist of
simple words so readers can easily 3.78 Agree
understand the articles.
Images attached to the written articles are

relevant and verified. 3.68 Agree
The audios uploaded on the website’s

podcast are clear and audible. 3.58 Agree
The videos uploaded on the website are

high quality (high definition, good framing, 3.61 Agree
good lighting, good editing)

Multimediality refers to how text, images, sound, and video are combined on a
digital platform to present news in an appealing way (Chung, Nam & Stefanone, 2012).
53
Table 5.4 presents the mean and verbal description of the respondents' assessment of
Rappler's Multimediality in terms of News Presentation. The result shows that all
respondents agree on five statements stating that Rappler appealingly presents news
(Multimediality) through its layout, text, images, audios, and videos published on their
website with a grand weighted mean of 3.67 as Agree.
Soon and Goh (2017) stated on their study that the visual aspect of the website is a
big factor for its credibility that supports the result of the data. In fact, according to the
authors, because of the proliferation of internet, users choose not to systematically process
all information but instead rely on their cognitive heuristics making visual appeal, layout,
typography, font size and color schemes or how appealing the data is presented to the
audience to become a factor in assessing its credibility. The statement is true since
according to Rappler's owner Maria Ressa, Rappler is a news organization that aims to
combine the strength of traditional journalism disciplines with innovating technology
(Rappler's Founding Board, 2012).

54
Table 5.5
of Hypertextuality of News Presentation
News Presentation: Weighted Verbal

Hypertexuality Mean Interpretation
Related News stories, audios and video files
of Rappler are accessible through hyperlinks
3.68 Agree
(highlighted word, phrase or graphic image).
Information sources cited by Rappler on their

news articles are accessible and guaranteed
3.52 Agree
to be reputable.
Articles produced by Rappler are searchable

through keywords. 3.69 Agree
Rappler attached links or articles on the

website to their social media posts such as on
3.85 Agree
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Articles published by Rappler can still be

accessible after a long period. 3.70 Agree

Hypertextuality refers to the highlighted phrase, word or image that links the reader
to related news articles (Chung, Nam & Stefanone 2012). Table 5.5 presents the mean
and verbal description of respondents’ assessment on Rappler’s Hypertextuality in
presenting news. Out of five statements, all respondents agree that Rappler uses
Hypertextuality in News Presentation with a grand weighted mean of 3.69 interpreted as
Agree where Hyperlinks link readers to related news stories.
The study conducted by Chung, Nam and Stefanone (2012) wherein it stated the
importance of a well-designed Hyperlink that enhances the website's credibility supports
the result of the data. Likewise, Soon and Goh (2017) supported the statement by using
the concept of The Illusory Effect. It states that repeated exposure to information can
55
influence people to believe that the information presented to them is accurate wherein
Hyperlink, one of the fundamental characteristics of the Internet enable readers' exposure
to related news articles from the website even after a long period of time helping them
understand issues more deeply thus trusting the news source. Aside from this, Hyperlink
also allows them to easily access, share information to social media sites such as
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram wherein once posted or shared by a trusted friend,
people are more likely to be skeptical about the information because of the trust present in
the friendship (Soon & Goh, 2017).

56
Chapter 5
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary of Findings
The result of the study shows the perceived credibility of the communication students
from selected universities in Metro Manila towards Rappler as a news organization. The
study utilized the Source Credibility theory of Hovland which includes trustworthiness and
expertise that states, perceived credibility could influence the image shown by a known
credible source and the five dimension of credibility of Chung, Nam, and Stefanone (2012)
to recognize the perceived credibility of communication students towards Rappler in
technical aspects such as Multimediality, Interactivity, and Hypertextuality.
1. The result shows that 73.6% equivalent to 440 respondents answered yes when
it comes to visiting Rappler’s website while 26.4% equivalent to 160 respondents
answered no. However, in terms of frequency of visit, 30.4% of the respondents
visit Rappler once a week. It was then followed by the 28.6% of respondents
who visit the site once a month and 20.8% of the respondents who answered
others, then followed by 12.1% of the respondents who visit the site once a day
and on the latter is the 8.1% of the respondents who visit the website 2-3 times a
week. The result points out that the most significant number of respondents
does not have a regular visit on the website.
2. On purpose of visiting Rappler's website, using multiple response questions, the
respondents prevalently answer was to be informed by reading the latest stories
on the news, business, features, sports, technology, entertainment and weather

57
reports in the Philippines and the world with a frequency of 310. It was followed
by to watch the latest news on politics, technology, business and sports through
newscasts, documentaries, commentaries, entertainment features, exclusive
coverage and animation that chose by the respondents 185 times, then by to
read investigative reports chosen as an answer by the respondents 94 times and
lastly to be entertained chosen by the respondents 78 times.
3. In terms of the perception of the respondents against the accusation on Rappler
releasing fake news, seven out of 10 statements were answered by the
respondents as neutral.
4. Similarly, the result in assessing the perceived credibility of Rappler with the five
dimensions provided and supported by the theory of the study shows that the
respondents are neutral in evaluating the credibility of the website in terms of
Trustworthiness on news content. However, the respondents perceive that the
news organization is credible in terms of Expertise of journalists and News
presentation (Interactivity, Multimediality, Hypertextuality).
Conclusion
This study investigated the credibility of Rappler, the very first digital news
organization in the Philippines (Ranada, 2018). It was perceived by communication
students from selected universities in Metro Manila notably the Polytechnic University of
the Philippines, Centro Escolar University, and the University of Makati guided by the
Source Credibility Theory by Hovland, Janis and Kelly (1953) with the support of the Five
58
Dimensions of Credibility as determined by Chung, Nam, and Stefanone as the foundation.
1. Respondents visit Rappler only once a week despite being one of the most active
internet users in the world trusts information released by news media among
youth ages 16-24.
2. The primary reason of the respondents on visiting the website of Rappler is for
information on the latest stories on the news, business, features, sports,
technology, entertainment and weather reports in the Philippines and the world
wherein people rely on news organizations for accurate information they use for
their everyday decisions.
3. Respondents answered Neutral on "fake news" accusation against Rappler
showing that the respondents are not ready or do not want to form opinion
towards the issue.
4. 4a. Trustworthiness of the News Content did not influence respondents'
perception of Rappler's credibility due to the issues faced by Rappler and their
non-regular basis of visiting the website.
4b. The expertise of the Journalists employed to Rappler was assessed by
respondents’ as credible despite the lack of knowledge on journalists' educational
and professional background.
4c. Respondents' assess the News Presentation of Rappler in terms of
Interactivity, Multimediality, and Hypertextuality as credible. These results

59
support the perspective that Rappler, who aims to combine traditional journalism
with high-technology was able to build an interactive, appealing website that can
enrich readers' knowledge on the topic by linking them to related news stories.
Overall, Rappler has low credibility in terms of Trustworthiness of the news content
but has high credibility on the Expertise of the Journalist and News Presentation
(Interactivity, Multimediality, and Hypertextuality). The reason for the low credibility is
because of the issues faced by Rappler that influences the perception of the respondents
while high credibility in Expertise means that respondents believe that the journalists
employed at Rappler are a credible source of news while for News Presentation is due to
Rappler having an interactive and appealing website.
Recommendations
The researchers recommend the following:
Rappler
The researchers recommend to Rappler for them to conduct a research study that
involves regular readers of news articles from their website as participants regarding their
perceived credibility of Rappler as they have the daily exposure to the website since the
respondents of this study do not regularly visit Rappler’s website.
Other News Organizations
Researchers recommend to other news organization that faces allegations in
releasing fake news also to conduct a study that evaluates their credibility as a news
60
organization since they are the "watchdog" of the society.
It is recommended to communication schools in the Philippines to improve the
curriculum regarding media literacy. It is for students to be more critical in evaluating the
content since they are the future media practitioners of the country.
To the Future Researchers and Students
Since Rappler is not the only media organization that receives accusation in
releasing "fake news," researchers recommend for a study that focuses on communication
students' perception of other news organization. Aside from that, it is also recommended to
have a study regarding traditional media's credibility from the perception of communication
students. Having research about Rappler during fake news phenomenon may also be
done. The researchers also recommend having further research about the credibility of
Rappler that involves the media practitioners as the respondents since they are more
expert than the communication students from universities in terms of identifying the
credibility of any media organization or platform because of the more advanced knowledge
they attained.
61
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68
APPENDIX 1:
INSTRUMENT
69
Republic of the Philippines

College of Communication
DEPARTMENT OF BROADCAST COMMUNICATION
Greetings of excellence in academic pursuit!

We are fourth-year students taking up Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Communication at the Polytechnic University of the
Philippines. As part of our thesis entitled “The Credibility of Rappler as Perceived by Communication Students from
Selected Schools in Manila: Academic Year 2018-2019”, we would like to ask for your cooperation to be one of our
respondents.
Rest assured that all information in this questionnaire will remain confidential and is solely for academic purposes only.
Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
The Researchers:
Michelle P. Lanterno
mich.lanterno@gmail.com
0995 302 1673
Ma. Sophia R. Magallanes

phiamagallanes1225@gmail.com
0945 608 4154
Mikaela V. Placido
placidomikaela@gmail.com
0927 622 3962
Control No. ______
INSTRUCTION: Please read carefully. Fill in the needed information below and write legibly. Check (✔) the corresponding
box for your answer(s).
I. Profile of the Respondents
Name (Optional): __________________________________

Age: _____
Sex:
 Female
 Male
Course:
 Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Communication (BABRC)
 Bachelor of Arts in Journalism (BAJ)
 Bachelor of Arts in Communication Research (BACR)
 Bachelor in Advertising and Public Relations (BAPR)
II. Frequency of Visiting Rappler’s Website
1. Do you visit Rappler (rappler.com)?

 Yes
 No
If yes, please proceed to question number 2. If no, please stop answering the questionnaire and return it to the
researchers.
2. How often do you visit Rappler’s website (rappler.com)?

 Once a day
 2-3 times a day
70
 Once a week
 Once a month
 Others (please specify): __________________
III. Purpose of Visiting Rappler’s Website
3. What is your purpose on visiting Rappler’s website? (You may choose more than one answer)
 To be informed by reading the latest stories on news, business, features, sports, technology, entertainment
and weather reports in the Philippines and in the world.
 To watch the latest news on politics, technology, business and sports through newscasts, documentaries,
commentaries, entertainment features, special coverage and animation.
 To read investigative reports.
 To be entertained.
 Others (please specify): ______________________
IV. Perception of the Respondents on the Accusation against Rappler on Releasing "Fake News"
INSTRUCTION: Below is a list of GENERAL STATEMENTS about the accusation to Rappler on releasing "Fake News." On
each statement, check (✔) the box that corresponds your level of agreement where: 1 is Strongly Disagree, 2 is Disagree, 3
is Neutral, 4 is Agree, and 5 is Strongly Agree.
Questions 1 2 3 4 5
Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly

Disagree Agree
4. Rappler is a credible source of

news
5. Rappler deliberately releases

news articles without
validating if the information is
accurate or not.
6. Rappler focuses on
commenting on issues rather
than objectively disseminates
information.
7. Rappler sensationalizes news

by exaggerating the
information presented in order
to catch readers' interest.
8. Rappler twists their reporting

in order to fit their viewpoint or
agenda.
9. Rappler shape and influence

public opinion toward political
issues.
10. Rappler's reports aim to

discredit and generate online
hate against the
administration of President
Rodrigo Duterte.
71
Questions 1 2 3 4 5
Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly

Disagree Agree
11. Rappler deliberately produces

hoax news stories to make a
profit or to gain influence.
12. The accusation to Rappler as

a news organization that
releases fake news articles
has no factual basis.
13. Rappler's credibility as an

online news organization is
negatively affected by the
"fake news" outlet accusation.
V. Respondents Perception on the Credibility of Rappler
INSTRUCTION: Below is a list of statements about Rappler. In GENERAL, how do you view Rappler’s credibility in terms of
News Content (Trustworthiness), Journalists (Expertise) and News Presentation (Interactivity, Multimediality, and
Hypertextuality)? On each statement, check (✔) the box that corresponds to your level of agreement where: where: 1 is
Strongly Disagree, 2 is Disagree, 3 is Neutral, 4 is Agree, and 5 is Strongly Agree.
Trustworthiness is the perceived confidence of the readers that the source is fair, unbiased,
objective, and diverse in giving an opinion.
1 2 3 4 5
Trustworthiness of News Content Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly

Disagree Agree
14. Rappler is fair in presenting

news articles by getting both
sides of the story.
15. Rappler is unbiased by

remaining neutral in
presenting news articles.
16. Rappler presents news based

on facts rather than feelings or
opinions.
17. Rappler presents various

articles regardless if it is about
the government or private
sectors in the society in order
to inform the public.
18. Rappler covers relevant news

stories locally and
internationally.
72
Expertise is the perceived confidence of the readers that the source is informed, knowledgeable,
professional, and in-depth on every issue.
1 2 3 4 5
The expertise of Journalists Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly

Disagree Agree
19. Rappler's journalists present

accurate and up-to-date
information on news articles
they produce.
20. Rappler's journalists have an

educational background and
professional experiences in
the field of news.
21. Rappler's journalists follow

the ethical principles of their
profession regardless of the
situation.
22. Rappler's journalists create

the context of the news they
produce by considering their
multiple audiences.
23. Rappler's journalists present

all essential points on every
issue.
Interactivity refers to how the news site enables the readers to respond to the news articles, reply to a
comment on a news article or even modify a news article.
1 2 3 4 5
News Presentation: Interactivity Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly

Disagree Agree
24. Rappler allows readers to

leave comments or respond to
the posted articles on their
website encouraging people to
participate in the discussion.
25. Rappler allows readers to add

or modify information on the
news articles presented.

choose an article of interest
from the list of sections on
their website.
73
1 2 3 4 5
News Presentation: Interactivity Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly

Disagree Agree
27. Rappler's mood meter (an

interactive tool that enables
readers to select what they
feel about an article) give
readers the freedom to
express their feeling on a
particular article.

follow the news site and easily
share news articles through
social networking sites like
Facebook, Twitter, and
Instagram.
Multimediality is the multimedia features in which text, images, sound, and video are combined in a digital
format to present news more appealingly.
1 2 3 4 5
News Presentation: Multimediality Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly

Disagree Agree
29. Rappler's website is easy to

use and has an appealing
visual appearance that
displays a high level of artistic
creativity on its layout and
graphics.
30. The text-based news articles

published on the website are
readable and consist of
simple words so readers can
easily understand the articles.
31. The images attached to news

articles published are verified
and relevant to the news
content.
32. The audios uploaded on the

website's podcast are clear
and audible.
33. The videos uploaded on the

website are high-quality (high
definition, good framing, good
lighting, good editing)
74
Hypertextuality is an element of news sites that enrich the reader's context about a particular issue by
clicking highlighted or underline word, phrase or image that links the reader to related news stories.
1 2 3 4 5
News Presentation: Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly

Disagree Agree
Hypertexuality
34. Related news stories, relevant

audios and video files
produced by Rappler are
shown on the website or
accessible through hyperlinks
(underlined or highlighted
word, phrase or graphic
image)
35. Information sources cited by

Rappler on their news articles
are accessible and
guaranteed to be reputable.
36. Articles produced by Rappler

are searchable through
keywords.
37. Rappler attached links or

articles on the website to their
social media posts such as on
Facebook, Twitter, and
Instagram.
38. Articles published by Rappler

can still be accessible after a
long period.
-END-
75
APPENDIX 2:
CORRESPONDENCES
76
77
78
79
APPENDIX 3:
GRAMMARLY RESULT
80
81
82
APPENDIX 4:
TURNITIN RESULT
83
84
APPENDIX 5:
BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENTS
85
Michelle Lanterno is a 4th-year Broadcast Communication student at Polytechnic
University of the Philippines. She is an internship trainee at DOSTv, Department of
Science and Technology’s official science and weather program. She trains there as a
scriptwriter, production manager, and researcher for different programs. From 2012- 2017,
she is a technical and stage management volunteer at Every Nation Campus. Watching
television series, online series and films about crime, monarchy, fantasy and coming of
age genre are one of her interest. Aside from that, she also writes short stories and poems
during her free time that she shares with her friends, family and online. When she
graduates, she plans to work in a company or institution where she can serve the
Philippines.
86
Ma. Sophia R. Magallanes is a fourth-year Broadcast Communication student at the
Polytechnic University of the Philippines- College of Communication. She is currently an
intern at Living Asia Channel Philippines. Her training includes script writing, researching,
and being a production assistant. She is a former Radio news presenter champion at the
National Schools Press Conference (NSPC) on April 2015 and is f ond of reading classic
literary pieces, historical and feature stories. Her research interests include Journalism,
Community Development and Children. She is planning to work at news stations or join non-
government organizations.
87
Mikaela V. Placido is a 4th year Broadcast Communication student at the College of
Communication of Polytechnic University of the Philippines. She is an intern at Living Asia
Channel. She trains there as an editor of short-length travel videos. She is a member of
Christian Brotherhood International (CBI) since 2015. Her interests and hobbies include
reading inspirational and romance books and watching film and online series about
mystery, science fiction and psychological thriller. She also loves to writes poems and
short articles about her insights on the political system of the country. After she graduates,
she aims to work as a writer for news and documentary about social realism.

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The Credibility of Rappler As Perceived by Communication Students From

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POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

THE CREDIBILITY OF RAPPLER AS PERCEIVED BY

In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree

Philippine Copyright © 2019

and the College of Communication

This thesis, THE CREDIBILITY OF RAPPLER AS PERCEIVED BY

ANGELITO BAUTISTA JR.

RUDOLF ANTHONY A. LACERNA, DEM CHERRY C. PEBRE, MC

Approved by the Panel on Oral Examination on December 21, 2018.

RUDOLF ANTHONY A. LACERNA, DEM

HEMMADY S. MORA, MC CHERRY C. PEBRE, MC

DIVINA TORMON-PASUMBAL, PhD

no revisions and submitting a hard-bounded copy of this thesis. Finally, it is happening.

gratitude to the following who helped us with this study:

recommendations to improve our study further.

the computation of the data we gathered.

who made this journey worth it and possible.

OF RAPPLER AS PERCEIVED BY COMMUNICATION STUDENTS FROM SELECTED

UNIVERSITIES IN METRO MANILA: ACADEMIC YEAR 2018-2019 for the degree

Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Communication at the Polytechnic University of the

acknowledgment were made.

MA. SOPHIA R. MAGALLANES

Date Signed (22, February, 2019)

CERTIFICATION OF STATISTICAL TREATMENT

Thesis Title: The Credibility of Rappler as Perceived by

Researchers: Lanterno, Michelle P.

Curriculum Program: Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Communication

Institution: Polytechnic University of the Philippines

Thesis Adviser: Mr. Angelito Bautista Jr.

After being branded as a “fake news” organization by President Rodrigo Duterte on

Philippines- College of Communication, 108 students from Centro Escolar University

the journalist and News Presentation (Interactivity, Multimediality, and Hypertextuality)

news organizations in the age of fake news phenomenon.

Keywords- Fake News, Credibility, Rappler, Polytechnic University of the Philippines,

1 The Problem and Its Setting

2 Review of Literature and Studies

4 Results and Discussion

5 Summary of Findings, Conclusions, and

Number Title Page

1 Distribution of Respondents per University for the Academic 35

2 Frequency of Visiting Rappler’s Website 41

2.1 Frequency and Percentage Distribution of Respondent’s Visit 42

3 Frequency and Rank Distribution of Respondents Purpose on 43

4 Mean Score of the Respondents’ Assessment towards the 45

5.1 Mean Score of the Respondents’ Assessment towards 47

5.2 Mean Score of the Respondents’ Assessment towards 49

5.3 Mean Score of the Respondents’ Assessment towards 50

5.4 Mean Score of the Respondents’ Assessment towards 52

5.5 Mean Score of the Respondents’ Assessment towards 53

Number Title Page

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

being aired or printed (Adah & Horne, 2017; Graauwmans, 2016).

bloggers and journalists on spreading misinformation (Roxas, 2017).

Philippine Depositary Receipts to 14 Filipino Rappler managers is an 'act of good faith'

With the on-going issue against Rappler, it challenges Rappler’s “credibility” as a

consumers will frequently use a medium if they perceived it as credible.

Flanagin and Metzger (2011) defined credibility as the "believability of information

interpreted by the information receiver" (p.1) where trustworthiness is the "combination of

(Bolalek, 2013, p.10).

credibility was affected by the image known to a credible source.

Drudge Report, Yahoo, and Google news.

Five Dimensions of Credibility

study made by Chung, Nam, and Stefanone (2012) identified perceived