Effects of Misogynist Political Pressure on the Media Coverage of Women Journalists During the Duterte Administration from 2016 to 2022

Abstract

During the term of President Rodrigo Duterte from 2016 to 2022 there has been a spur of misogynist attacks against women in general. One of the fields of women greatly affected by this is women in the media because their coverage played a critical role in the relationship with the state. The research focused on assessing how women journalists dealt with misogynist political pressure in their media coverage under the Duterte administration by utilizing Steiner’s Feminist Media Theory (2014) and Mills’ Model on Sexism (2008). The frameworks use lie in the assumption that existing patriarchal society affects the culture that shapes the stereotypes against women. In the field of media, feminists push back against the patriarchal structure by giving women more opportunities and platforms to have a better understanding of the plight of the marginalized. A qualitative research design was used and employed key-informant interviews with women journalists to gain in-depth information on their jobs as fourth estate during the Duterte administration. Drawing from the literature, the researchers confirmed that the existing patriarchal culture in the Philippines contributed to the misogyny women journalists are facing but was strengthened during the Duterte administration because as the highest position holder in the Philippines, his remarks are powerful enough to influence the Filipino people. The research found that the misogynist political pressure both mainstream and alternative women journalists experienced affected their coverages. Some women journalists opted to resort to collective debriefing while other journalists continue to engage in adversarial writing.