Sa Mata Ng Agila (In the Eye of the Eagle)

Interrogating Newscast Authenticity of a Philippine TV Network

Abstract

Broadcast news, as a fleeting medium, falls into the journalism discourse of communicating the truth. Therefore, whatever is aired should be based on facts. In the Philippines, the recent presidential elections on May 9, 2022, had news outfits cover the different candidates during the campaign trail. This included the church-owned television network, Net25. Their flagship program, titled “Mata ng Agila” (“In the Eye of the Eagle”), is the subject of this study as it used opinion-based phrases in the newscast. Through Erving Goffman’s framing analysis, selected voice-over packages were analyzed through qualifying their language, style, and presentation, to determine their authenticity. Mikhail Bakhtin’s framework on production of talk was also used. Michel Foucault’s concept of power further gave depth on how an ideal newscast should be given under the context of the elections. It showed how the newscast’s manner of speech for a certain candidate differs in comparison to another contender for the presidency. These phrases attribute to inauthenticity, which diminished the purpose of producing news. The study thus suggests a standard for newscasts, especially in this age of valid concerns about disinformation.