Thesis On Media
Thesis On Media
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
JICEL A. ROCKCLIFF
hapter 1
THE PROBLEM
INTRODUCTION
communication. It has the power to shape and control the perception of an individual
the press does much more than merely informs its audiences. By selecting which public
affairs stories will be reported and by giving special prominence to some stories, the news
media suggest which people, issues, and events are especially deserving of public
attention.
This is explained in the concept of agenda setting which is the idea that what the
public thinks about is set by the media. The agenda setting theory was first introduced
by Dr. Maxwell McCombs and Dr. Donald Shaw in 1972. The ability of the mass media
to set the agenda for public discussion is known as agenda-setting. The media's agenda
becomes the public's agenda. The public’s agenda then becomes also the agenda of the
Thus, Mass media play a critical role in policymaking. They help to set an agenda,
which is then adopted and dealt with by politicians, policymakers, and other actors.
Media can draw attention to the players involved in the policy process and can aid, abet
or hinder their cause by highlighting their role in policymaking. Media can also act as a
critical conduit between governments and publics, informing publics about government
actions and policies, and helping to convey public attitudes to government officials. This
influence provides media with a powerful tool to influence government and the way
In the case of disasters, traditional media has the power to portray the government
both in the positive and negative light of things. They may press for government
More often it highlights deficiencies in the delivery of relief or local preparedness and
national coordination efforts. The public's agenda then will be set and they start
demanding for answers. These prompts the government to take action and formulate
policies based on the issues set by the media and perspectives of the public. The press
covers and this effect has intensified with the popularity of the Internet and online news
media.
The present study will provide a better understanding of how agenda-setting in the
online news media may have a direct effect on the government's perspective.The National
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) is tasked to come up with
a framework for disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM), as well as supervise
preparations for, and responses to, natural calamities and human-induced disasters.
However, local government units (LGUs) are expected to be at the frontline of emergency
measures in the aftermath of disasters to ensure the general welfare of its constituents,
according to the Local Government Code of 1991. As first responders, they should be
restoration of people's livelihood. It also states that every LGU should also create a Local
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan (LDRRMP) covering 4 aspects of DRRM
prevention and mitigation, and rehabilitation and recovery. The Municipal Disaster Risk
management particularly in the case of typhoons. This will assess the implications of
agenda set in online news coverage of typhoons on the perspectives of the officers of
The general purpose of this study is to determine the implications of online media
3. What is the focus or agenda set by these online news sites during the coverage
of typhoons?
4. What are the perceptions and agenda of Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and
typhoons?
policies can help increase understanding of their potential impact which can guide
Local Government Units. The LGUs may use the information collected in this
Mediamen. Knowledge regarding how the media gathers and distributes the news
Community. The possible solutions that will be formulated will provide a better
The Researcher. Through this study, the researcher will gain more knowledge
about the subject area and contribute her knowledge to the whole society.
Other researchers. This will help future researchers and a sense that this could
The study assessed the implications of online media agenda setting on Local
Government Units (LGUs) Disaster Management. The main respondents were the
Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management office (MDRRM) officers of Goa,
Lagonoy, Sagnay, San Jose and Tigaon in Camarines Sur. These five municipalities were
included in the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) report in 2010 of the 22
incidents. Typhoon-related articles published from July 1- July 31, 2016 from the top
three preferred news websites of the respondents were retrieved from the news websites
This study is conducted based on the assumption that agenda setting of online
1. Traditional media (print and broadcast) media affects the perception of the public.
2. Topics ranked highly in the mass media are accorded similar importance by the
audience.
5. Media affects the perceptions of those in the government as much as it affects the
public's agenda.
HYPOTHESIS
typhoon coverage and the perceptions and agenda of officers of MDRRMO on the
RELATED LITERATURE
Disasters
property losses, and endanger public safety (Norris et al. 2002). This decade has seen an
increasing number of natural and man-made disasters. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami,
the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 in China and the earthquake in 2011 in Japan, to name
a few, killed tens of thousands of people. These disasters also caused tremendous stress
and a series of social problems. Effective communication is one of the key points to
consider when dealing with disasters.
Disaster Preparedness provides for the key strategic actions that give importance
planning; conduct of local drills and the development of a national disaster response plan.
Risk-related information coming from the prevention and mitigation aspect is necessary
in order for the preparedness activities to be responsive to the needs of the people and
situation on the ground. Also, the policies, budget and institutional mechanisms
established under the prevention and mitigation priority area will be further enhanced
and essential services will be ensured. Behavioral change created by the preparedness
aspect is eventually measured by how well people responded to the disasters. At the
frontlines of preparedness are the local government units, local chief executives and
communities. Disaster Response gives importance to activities during the actual disaster
response operations from needs assessment to search and rescue to relief operations to
early recovery activities are emphasized. The success and realization of this priority area
rely heavily on the completion of the activities under both the prevention and mitigation
and preparedness aspects, including among others the coordination and communication
coordination work between and among key stakeholders will contribute to successful
disaster response operations and its smooth transition towards early and long term
recovery work. The Rehabilitation and Recovery priority area cover areas like
resettlement, among others. These are recovery efforts done when people are already
outside of the evacuation centers. There are compelling reasons why the Philippines
should adopt disaster risk reduction and management(DRRM) and climate change
adaptation (CCA). It is exposed to disasters and hazards due to its geography and
geology as well as the presence of internal disputes in some areas. Tropical cyclones and
its sequential effects of rain and windstorms, as well as floods are the most prevalent
eightyfour (84) tropical cyclones entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).
These typhoons resulted to a total of 13,155 in human casualty and more than 51 million
families have been affected. Economic losses due to typhoon damages in agriculture,
infrastructures and private properties are estimated to reach P158.242-B. Some of the
most devastating floods and landslides are triggered by these typhoons that happened also
within this period. The El Nino Southern Oscillation which is a periodic disaster recorded
high economic costs in just a single occurrence. In 2010, out of the almost PhP 25-M
to more than half. These affected more than 3 million people in that year alone.
Environmental factors such as denuded forests aggravate flood risks. The pace of
deforestation since the 1930s accelerated in the 1950s and 1960s, before falling slightly
in the 1980s. Even now, the effects of loose soil and reduced forest cover from past
forestry activities are felt in frequent landslides and floods. Recent events show that the
annual monsoon season in the country has brought severe flooding in most areas. In
2011, most of the disasters that claimed the lives of people and affected properties and
livelihoods of the most vulnerable were brought about by increased rainfall which caused
massive flash flooding in areas which don’t normally experience such. Between January
to September 2011, more than 50 incidents of flash flooding and flooding and more than
30 landslides occurred, mostly caused by increased rainfall and illegal logging. Typhoon
Sendong alone caused the lives of more than 1,000 people and damaged properties
seismic area lying along the Pacific Ring of Fire and is highly-prone to earthquakes.
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVLOCS), the
country experiences an average of five (5) earthquakes a day (Department of Internal and
Over the past 20 years disasters have affected 4.4 billion people, caused $2
trillion of damage and killed 1.3 million people. These losses have outstripped the total
disproportionately affect people living in developing countries and the most vulnerable
communities within those countries. Over 95 per cent of people killed by natural disasters
are from developing countries (Extreme Weather and Natural Disasters, 2012).
Disaster risk reduction is at the core of the mission of the World Meteorological
Organization (WMO. WMO, through its scientific and technical programs, its network of
Centers, provide scientific and technical services. This includes observing, detecting,
monitoring, predicting and early warning of a wide range of weather–, climate- and
water-related hazards. Through a coordinated approach, and working with its partners,
WMO addresses the information needs and requirements of the disaster risk management
back economic and social development by years, if not decades. Between 1980 and 2007,
nearly 7500 natural disasters worldwide took the lives of over 2 million people and
produced economic losses estimated at over 1.2 trillion US dollars. Of this, 90 per cent of
the natural disasters, 71 per cent of casualties and 78 per cent of economic losses were
tropical cyclones, storm surges, extreme temperatures, landslides and wild fires, or by
hydrological conditions. Over the past five decades, economic losses related to hydro-
meteorological hazards have increased, but the human toll has fallen dramatically. This is
reduction policies and tools, including contingency planning and early warning systems
Recent disasters in Haiti and Pakistan in 2010 showed the need to “use
knowledge, innovation and education to build a culture of safety and resilience at all
levels” as articulated in the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015. The role of
education for disaster risk reduction strategies can thus be presented according to three
types of activities: 1) Save lives and prevent injuries should a hazardous event occur, 2)
Prevent interruptions to the provision of education, or ensure its swift resumption in the
event of an interruption, and 3) Develop a resilient population that is able to reduce the
economic, social and cultural impacts should a hazardous event occur. Education for
Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) takes into account the relationships between society,
environment, economy, and culture and their impacts. It also promotes critical thinking
and problem-solving as well as social and emotional life skills that are essential to the
DRR while DRR increases the relevance and the quality of education in disaster-prone
areas. UNESCO gives specialized policy advice and technical assistance to affected
and participation in inter-agency activities, to ensure that educational needs are met in
Reduction (ISDR) Thematic Platform on Knowledge and Education. With its ISDR
national educational plans, school curricula and national strategies, as well as supporting
natural disaster preparedness. UNESCO has promoted Education for Disaster Risk
disaster risk reduction: building disaster-resilient societies”, organized during the 2009
Much can be done to minimize the impacts of natural disasters. The Australian
as health, education, water and sanitation, and food security—must ensure that their
activities and infrastructure are disaster-resilient. Australia, along with most of our
developing country partners, is a signatory to the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005–
2015 Building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters, the international
blueprint for disaster risk reduction. It highlights that disaster risk reduction, along with
Aid, 2011).
In the period 2000-2009 as many as 85 per cent of the people reported affected by
disasters belonged to the Asia-Pacific Region, where Australia provides most of its
much impact a hazard has on society and the environment. The scale of the impact in turn
depends on the choices we make for our lives and for our environment. These choices
relate to how we grow our food, where and how we build our homes, what kind of
government we have, how our financial system works and even what we teach in schools.
Each decision and action makes us more vulnerable to disasters - or more resilient to
them. Disaster risk reduction is the concept and practice of reducing disaster risks
through systematic efforts to analyse and reduce the causal factors of disasters. Reducing
land and the environment, and improving preparedness for adverse events are all
examples of disaster risk reduction. Disaster risk reduction includes disciplines like
disaster management, disaster mitigation and disaster preparedness, but DRR is also part
must also reduce disaster risk. On the other hand, unsound development policies will
increase disaster risk - and disaster losses. Thus, DRR involves every part of society,
every part of government, and every part of the professional and private sector (National
Nepal, 2009), the management strategies have been inadequate and not well implemented
preparedness, public awareness, effective media reporting and proper news dissemination
(NSDRM, 2009).
During a disaster or public safety emergency, the general public will seek their
information via the news media that are usually in place to cover such events.
Unfortunately this does not always go well and there are occasions when the media can
between emergency managers and the public at large. Generally, radio, television, and
print messages reach the largest audience over the greatest distance (Latonero &
Shklovski, 2011). This tradition is still active, but has reached a new stage of evolution
that is changing the concept for both media representative and emergency management
organization. For a couple decades now, the world has lived in a twenty-four hour news
cycle where any new news is considered breaking, whether or not it has significance.
Hyping on a story can provide both the needed exposure of the situation to the public and
also exploit the situation, often leading to oversaturation which can further lead to the
“The media can have a huge impact on the way that a disaster and the risk issues
involved are defined and perceived by the public as well as the authorities” (Vasterman,
Yzermans, & Dirkzwager, 2005). The risk for turning off the public to a situation can
have immediate impacts to the safety of citizens in the affected area. Understanding how
the public perceives the information should be a consideration for any agency –
emergency management or the media –as this can determine their continued viewing.
From the perspective of the emergency manager, the challenging partnership with
the media is a must have. “News organizations play an invaluable role during times of
natural disaster, but there are associated risks and costs” (Miller & Goidel, 2009, p. 266).
Public messaging following a major event is critical and coordinating that message
requires working closely with the media, on all platforms. To enhance this public
messaging capability, the use of social media has been gaining ground in the past few
years, with Twitter and Facebook as the lead agents. “Social media sites rank as the
fourth most popular source to access emergency information” (Lindsay, 2011).
Emergency managers must stay abreast of these changing platforms and utilize them to
Agenda-setting
The formation of agenda-setting as a theory can be traced back to the mid 20th
century although the media’s role in shaping an environment and public opinion was
explored before then by journalist Walter Lippmann (McCombs, 1997; Rosenberry &
Vicker, 2009). A more basic approach to defining agenda-setting is given by Shaw and
Martin, as they claim agenda-setting theory addresses how the media tell people what to
think about (Shaw & Martin, 1992). Determining what news will make its way onto the
media agenda and public agenda is dependent upon the factors associated with agenda-
setting theory. Since the initial assertion of media’s ability to effect what the public thinks
about, the theory has been expanded upon. Agenda-setting theory is often considered
from two levels. First level agenda-setting is “focused on the relative salience of issues or
objects,” and second level agenda-setting “examines the relative salience of attributes of
One approach that determines what news will make its way onto the media
agenda is the concept of agenda building. Agenda building, according to Weaver and
Elliot, focuses on “how the press interacts with other institutions in society to create
issues of public concern,” and the approach is “concerned with how issues originate or
1969). According to Dearing and Rogers (1996), “the number of news stories
measures relative salience of an issue of study on the media agenda”. Measuring issue
salience is, therefore, important because the “audience presumably judges the relative
importance of an issue on the basis of the number of media messages about the issue to
which they are exposed” (Dearing & Rogers, 1996, p. 18). Thus, in correlating the media
and the public agendas on an issue, it is generally presumed that the position taken by the
media on an issue, also determines the salience of that issue on the public agenda.
Content analysis includes “the careful examination of human interactions; the analysis of
investigation of word usage in news releases and political speeches; and so much more”
(Neuendorf, 2002). Within the field of mass communication research, Riffe and Freitag
and Yale and Gilly (as cited in Neuendorf, 2002) observe that “content
analysis has been the fastest-growing technique over the past 20 years or so.”
dates back to at least the 17th century. However, it was not until the rise of the newspaper
in the early 20th century that the mass production of printed material created a demand
underlying basis for textual analysis as a "research technique for the objective, systematic
construct a dataset that allows the analyst to interpret texts and draw inferences.
RELATED STUDIES
Barnes, et al. (2013) examined media agenda setting by reviewing local, state and
national newspaper articles on Hurricane Katrina. It assessed how media agenda setting
supports disaster management practices. Two coders conducted a content analysis of four
major US newspapers. It was concluded that the media tended to emphasize a greater
need for government responsibility. A negative tone was prominent in depictions of the
by the public's perception of these as entities as possessing a civic duty and having easily
deployable resources. By highlighting a poor or slow response, the media was able to
coverage and policy outcomes. After collecting data on thousands of articles, the research
shows that there is some small relationship between media coverage and policy change.
Althaus (2000) revealed that those who read printed newspapers recalled relatively more
public affairs stories and more details than those who were exposed to the online editions.
In another experiment by d’Haenens et al. (2004), there was no clear pattern as far as
survey, which asked participants to indicate the frequency (daily, every few hours,
hourly) of various information/news media sources on which they relied during the crisis
period of Hurricane Danny. Their results showed that local TV coverage and local radio
reports were major sources of information and news for the public. A minority of
respondents noted using Internet weather sites and weather band radio, while a third
of the sample read the local newspaper. The findings were consistent with prior research.
As Spencer (1992) showed, people especially like TV because of the public’s preference
for visual imagery and dramatic impact.
Following the Mount St. Helens volcano eruption in western Washington in 1986
Hirschburg, Dillman, and BallRokeach found that the mass media were a more important
source of information than interpersonal communication. They said that people continued
to rely on the media even when initial information seemed misleading. After September
11, Wilson Lowrey (2004) did a study to examine dependence on media after the terrorist
attack. He was concerned about why dependency level varies at the individual level, and
what effect this variation has on the individual. Dependence was also high for television
and print, while weaker for interpersonal communication, than radio and the Web.
Lowrey in 2004 found that familiarity with a media type leads to finding that type more
by Papacharissi and Rubin (2000) a survey of 279 college students revealed uses and
gratification theory’s five motivations for using the Internet (ranked): interpersonal
PerezLugo argued in her 2004 study that during natural disasters mass media
became a substitute for personal contact. Media provide their members with a
strong sense of identity and purpose and build strong and enduring emotional bonds.
Media offer social support to individuals who might otherwise suffer social isolation.
Dominick (1996) also concluded that media, apart from transmitting information, also
have a linkage and a social utility function. In 1995, in a study of the Loma Prieta
earthquake, Massey uncovered alternative media uses to fulfill not only a need for
information but for companionship during the recovery after the earthquake.
occurring within weeks of each other in the fall of 1989, Hurricane Hugo and the Loma
Related literatures present that the media can have a huge impact on the way that
a disaster and the risk issues involved are defined and perceived by the public as well as
the authorities. Scheufele and Tewksbury defines agenda-setting as the idea that there is a
strong correlation between the emphasis that media place on certain issues and the
(2009), the impact of disasters is increasing due to the lack of preparedness, public
awareness, effective media reporting and proper news dissemination. The media can have
a huge impact in resolving disaster issues as perceived by the public as well as the
authorities.
newspaper readership whereas Piotrowski, Spencer, Hirshburg, and Walters assessed the
No literature and study however has found out to study on the same exact topic
except for the books and studies that cater to its parts.
Most of the studies focused on traditional media agenda-setting and its effects on
the public’s perception and agenda on issues as well as media dependency. Moreover, the
studies were set on international locale. This study however focused on the implications
Municipal Disaster Risk Red Management Office regarding the development of policies
case of typhoons.
Figure 1. CONCEPTUAL PARADIGM
ONLINE MEDIA
AGENDA-
SETTING ON
DISASTER
COVERAGE
Implications on agenda of
MDRRM officers on
disaster management
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
The concept that this study tried to identify was the correlation between the
agenda of MDRRM officers on disaster management and the agenda of their preferred
online news sites during disaster reporting. Through a questionnaire, the study tried to
evaluate the online media usage of MDRRM officers and disaster management agenda.
The researcher evaluated agenda of the preferred online news sites through content
analysis and how it relates to the disaster management agenda of MDRRM officers. The
result of this study revealed the implications of online media agenda-setting to the
ONLINE MEDIA
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
This research is founded on the agenda setting theory. Also known as The Agenda
Setting Function of the Mass Media, it was first put forth by Maxwell McCombs and
Donald Shaw in 1972 in Public Opinion Quarterly (you can download the full article
here). They originally suggested that the media sets the public agenda, in the sense that
they may not exactly tell you what to think, but they may tell you what to think about. In
their first article where they brought this theory to light their abstract states:
In choosing and displaying news, editors, newsroom staff, and broadcasters play
an important part in shaping political reality. Readers learn not only about a given
issue, but also how much importance to attach to that issue from the amount of
information in a news story and its position. In reflecting what candidates are
saying during a campaign, the mass media may well determine the important
issues—that is, the media may set the “agenda”of the campaign.
understand and respond to the world in which they live. It is a skill that most successful
leaders possess, yet one that is not often taught. According to Fairhurst & Sarr (1996)
framing consists of three elements: language, thought and forethought. Language helps us
to remember information and acts to transform the way in which we view situations. To
use language, people must have thought and reflected on their own interpretive
frameworks and those of others. Leaders must learn to frame spontaneously in certain
framing opportunities.
When gatekeeping is done, the view of audience is affected. The word gatekeeping
was proposed by Kurt Zadek Lewin in 1943, who was a social psychologist. The theory
was used for mass communication and news dissemination by David Manning White.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Disaster Risk Reduction. The concept and practice of reducing disaster risks
through systematic efforts to analyze and reduce the causal factors of disasters.
wise management of land and the environment, and improving preparedness for
adverse events are all examples of disaster risk reduction.
CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH DESIGN
This study used the quantitative and qualitative methods of research. Quantitative
data deal primarily with numbers. Quantitative research seeks to establish relationships
between variables and look for and sometimes explain the cause of such relationships.
Qualitative research is more concerned with understanding situations and events from the
point of view of the participants. This utilized correlation procedures to assess the
Camarines Sur were considered in this study. These municipalities included Goa, Tigaon,
Lagonoy, San Jose and Sagnay. These five municipalities were included in the Mines and
which are prone to flooding and typhoon-related incidents. The main respondents were
questionnaire is one of the most common types of collecting data which composes most
particular need for research about a certain topic and are distributed to the respondents.
The questionnaires in this paper hence served as the basis for reliability and accuracy of
The first part of the questionnaire was designed to elicit personal information on
the respondents name, address, age, gender and occupation.
The second part was intended to inquire about their exposure to news sources
while part three gathered data on news source preference. Part four assessed the
respondents’ online media usage. Finally, the last part gathered data on their perspectives
on disaster management. The data for this part were ranked and then correlated with the
ranking of issues in the favored online news sites retrieved and subjected to content
analysis.
DATA-GATHERING PROCEDURE
informal interview was also conducted for verification. The questionnaires were then
given to the respondents. Data regarding the preferred online news sites of the
respondents were summed up. Articles published from July 1- July 31, 2016 regarding
typhoons, from the top three preferred online news sites of the respondents were retrieved
from the news websites and analyzed to determine their agenda. Several categories were
used in coding the articles. Data were summed up and used to determine the significant
relationship between the online news agenda and the agenda and perception of MDRRM
The statistical tools to be used in the study are Percentage, Weighted Mean and
The items of the scores were added, divided by the total number of responses,
and then multiply the quotients by one hundred percent. The formula is:
P = R/N × 100%
Where:
P - Percentage
R - Number of respondents
Weighted Mean. This tool was used to identify the average responses from the
obtained data. The weighted average formula is used to calculate the average
Where:
w = the weights.
x = the value.
Spearman Rank-Order Correlation. This is a non parametric measure of
association based on the ranks of the data values. The salience of issues and
related issues ranked highly in the three newspapers have an effect on what
involving salience of issues in each of the news sites to their perspectives. Also,
the tool was utilized to measure the strengths of relationships involving cumulative
Where:
d2 = difference squared.
the respondents on disaster management and the agenda and focus of the preferred online
news sites by the respondents on disaster reporting. The presentation is sequenced based
on the respondent’s profile, exposure to news sources, news source preference, online
on online news sites and the effect of online news agenda setting on their perspectives.
Respondents’ Profile
Table 1 show that 70.6% or majority of the respondents are male. 29.4% are
female. 58.8% have ages between 41-50 years old. 23.5% are between 31-40 years old. 2
of the officers are in the 21-30 age brackets. The least percentage of respondents were the
INTERPRETATION
Television 4.88 Always
Radio 4.18 Often
Newspapers 3.41 Seldom
Newspaper’s Websites 3.65 Often
Independent online news sites 3.06 Seldom
News-related links on social 3.94 Often
media
said that they always watch news on television. Getting a weighted mean of 4.18,
respondents often tune in on news on radio and reads news on newspaper’s websites and
social media. With a weighted mean of 3.41 and 3.06 respectively, MDRRM officers
No. of responses %
Television 17 100
Radio 11 64.7
Smartphone 12 70.6
Laptop/PC 10 58.8
Internet 6 35.3
All of the respondents have televisions at home. Almost 71% said that they have
access to smart phones and 64.7% own a radio. 58.8% have laptop/PCs while 35.3% have
Table 4 presents the data about the preferred news source of MDRRM officers
when seeking information and updates regarding typhoons. Majority prefer television, to
which all respondents have access to at home. This indicates that accessibility to the news
websites came in second with 4 responses and 3 for independent online news sites. This
was followed by newspaper’s websites and printed newspapers. Noticeably, radio and
social media were the least favored by the respondents. The table shows that next to
Sites
Television 11 1
TV Station Websites 0 3.25
Radio 0 3.25
Social Media 0 3.25
Table 5 indicates that 11 respondents said that television, to which all respondents
have access to at home and which majority favored over all the other news sources, is the
most credible and up-to-date in disaster reporting in case of typhoons. 23. 5% chose in
dependent online news sites while the other 2 respondents said that newspaper’s websites
were more credible. TV station’s websites, radio, and social media were accounted with
the least credibility. Next to television, online news sites in the form of independent
online news sites and newspaper’s websites were seen as credible sources of information.
70.6% of the respondents said that they mostly read news online.
23.5% said that they access online mostly to make use of-email. 5.9% chat online while
none of the respondents own any blog nor read blogs. From this, it can be inferred that
breaking news
Free of charge 13 76.5
Interactive 8 47.1
Links to further 7 41.2
news
No reason 0 0
Never Read 0 0
All respondents said that they keep want to keep track of breaking
news that is why they read online news. 76.5 % said that they like reading online news
because it is free of charge while 47.1% said that it is interactive. 41.2 % reads online
news because they link to further news. 35.3 % are interested with more photos/videos
The table above shows that 4 out 17 respondents or 23.5% reads online news at
least 3 days in an average week. All 17 respondents read online news though at various
frequency. From this we can infer that MDRRM officers, though of various age groups
they maybe, have learned to utilize the internet and online media to help them in seeking
information.
The table above shows that 94.1 % or majority of the respondents read news from
Inquirer.net, a newspaper’s website, to seek updates on typhoons. 88% said that they were
reading news from ABS CBN news’ online counterpart while 10 respondents read
Rappler news, an independent online news site. GMA News and philNews were chosen
by 29.4% of the respondents. Therefore the top three favored online news sites of
the minority thinks that there is still a need for practical application of DM policy. 23.5%
Table 9. Perception on the prioritization of disaster management principles and practices in the four
threats
Review emergency management policies, plans, and 4 4
materials/wastes problems)
Health care 6 4
Temporary housing 3 6
Financial Grants 2 7
Counseling Programs 1 8
Economic impact studies 4 5
Health and Safety education 7 3
prioritized next according to the respondents. 12 respondents said that preventive health
care should be focused upon. As for preparedness, warning systems undoubtedly ranked
Rescue operations, emergency health care and repairing vital services were deemed as
priorities for the response phase. Meanwhile, debris recovery and clean-up were viewed
11 or 70.1% of the respondents said that preparedness should be the focus of local
disaster management during typhoons. Response came in as the second priority of the
MDRRM officers. This was followed by mitigation while recovery was the least
prioritized phase.
This table showed the common disaster-related topics and focus on disaster coverage they
perceived to be of the most importance and should be prioritized and focused on by local governments
Death and injury cases ranked first with eight MDRRM officers accounting it
with the highest importance. Food relief operations came in second followed by Health
Content Analysis of Typhoon-related news from July 1-August 10, 2016 on Top
Articles related to typhoons published from July 1-August 10, 2016 were
retrieved from the top 3 online news sites. Keywords including “disaster” and “typhoons”
were used for article identification. Articles that made only minimal reference to the
subjects (e.g., obituaries, indexes, and news briefs) were excluded from the sample.
The top three preferred online news sites were news.abs-cbn, a TV station’s website,
Rappler and 51 articles from Inquirer.net, all relating to typhoons were retrieved and
gathered.
Response 49 2 2
Recovery 48 3 4
Mitigation ranked first in both the ranking of Inquirer.net and that of MDRRM
officers. This indicates that both MDRRM officers and Inquirer.net set Preparedness
phase as their top agenda. The same is the result with response which ranked both second
in their agenda. Recovery however ranked third in the agenda of Inquirer.net whereas it
Preparedness 61 1 1
Response 35 3 2
Recovery 43 2 4
Preparedness was set as the highest agenda of both ABS-CBN news and MDRRM
Preparedness 39 1 1
Response 23 3 2
Recovery 38 2 4
Preparedness also ranked first in both the Rappler and MDRRM agenda-setting.
Preparedness 152 1 1
Response 107 3 2
Recovery 129 2 4
Cumulatively, preparedness ranked first in both ranking of online news sites and
Correlation Interpretation
INQUIRER.NET 0.8 Very strong
relationship
News.abs-cbn 0.4 Strong
relationship
Rappler.com 0.4 Strong
relationship
CUMULATIVE 0.2 Weak
relationship
correlation with 0.8 value. This suggests that there is a very strong relationship between
the agenda-setting of Inquirer.net news and the agenda set by MDRRM officers on
disaster management. News.abs-cbn and Rappler had similar correlations and suggests
that there is a moderate relationship between agenda-setting of the two news sites and
threats
Review emergency management policies, plans, and 4 5 4
materials/wastes problems)
Health care 7 6 4
Temporary housing 12 4 6
Financial Grants 10 5 7
Counseling Programs 2 7 8
Economic impact studies 1 8 5
Health and Safety education 13 3 3
Preventive health care ranked first in the agenda set by the online news sites whereas
MDRRM officers placed it third in their ranking. Both warning systems placed first under
the preparedness phase. Rescue was ranked first by both online news sites and MDRRM
officers for the response phase while debris clean-up also got the top rank for recovery
phase.
by officers and the online news sites. The data shows that there is very strong relationship
between the two for preparedness phase and a strong relationship for response and
recovery phase.
Health care 22 4 3
Shelter/Infrastructures 20 3 4
The table shows the ranking of disaster-related issues as set by online news sites
and MDRRM officers. Death and injury cases was ranked first among the issues that
were prioritized by online news sites in disaster reporting followed by food relief
operations which was also ranked second place by both sides. Health care was ranked
third by MDRRM officers and last by online news sites. Shelter and infrastructures was
ranked third by online news sites whereas it ranked fourth on the based on the MDRRM
officers’ perceived importance.
COMPUTED INTERPRETATION
VALUE
DISASTER-RELATED 0.8 VERY STRONG
ISSUES RELATIONSHIP
This shows that there is a very strong positive relationship between the ranking of
disaster-related issues of MDRRM officers and the salience of he issue set by online
news sites.
CHAPTER 5
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Question no. 1. What is the level of exposure of Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and
Summary: Respondents said that they always watch news on television. Getting
a weighted mean of 4.18, respondents often tune in on news on radio and reads news on
newspaper’s websites and social media. With a weighted mean of 3.41 and 3.06
online news sites. All of the respondents have televisions at home. Almost 71% said that
they have access to smart phones and 64.7% own a radio. 58.8% have laptop/PCs while
70.6% of the respondents said that they mostly read news online.
23.5% said that they access online mostly to make use of-email. 5.9% chat online while
none of the respondents own any blog nor read blogs. From this, it can be inferred that
All respondents said that they keep want to keep track of breaking news that is
why they read online news. 76.5 % said that they like reading online news because it is
free of charge while 47.1% said that it is interactive. 41.2 % reads online news because
they link to further news. 35.3 % are interested with more photos/videos regarding certain
events.
23.5% reads online news at least 3 days in an average week. All respondents read
Their main reason for reading online news is to keep track of breaking
news.
All the respondents read online news though at various frequencies. From
this we can infer that MDRRM officers, though of various age groups they
maybe, have learned to utilize the internet and online media to help them in
seeking information.
Recommendations:
should be always updated and informed in the case of typhoons. Thus, they
should learn to utilize online media which is easily accessible and up-to-date.
Question no. 2. Which news websites do Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and
newspaper’s website, to seek updates on typhoons. 88% said that they were reading news
from ABS CBN news’ online counterpart while 10 respondents read Rappler news, an
independent online news site. GMA News and philNews were chosen by 29.4% of the
respondents.
Conclusions: The top three favored online news sites of MDRRM officers were:
online counterpart of one of the Philippine’s top daily newspaper, The Philippine Daily
Inquirer. From this it can be inferred that Inquirer.net was favored most by the MDRRM
cbn is owned by ABS-CBN, one of the leading TV station’s in the country. Rappler, on
the other hand, is an independent online news sites which have gained fast popularity
Recommendations:
MDRMM officers should explore more options for online news reading so
as to not focus only on the issues and agenda set by a favored and specific online
Question no. 3. What is the focus or agenda set by these online news sites during the
coverage of typhoons?
Preparedness was set as the highest agenda of both ABS-CBN and Rappler.
Preventive health care ranked first in the agenda set by the online news sites
whereas MDRRM officers placed it third in their ranking. Both warning systems placed
first under the preparedness phase. Rescue was ranked first by both online news sites and
MDRRM officers for the response phase while debris clean-up also got the top rank for
recovery phase.
Death and injury cases was ranked first among the issues that were prioritized by
online news sites in disaster reporting followed by food relief operations . Shelter and
infrastructures was ranked third why Health care was ranked last by online news sites.
Recommendations:
Question no. 4. What are the perceptions and agenda of Municipal Disaster Risk
while the minority thinks that there is still a need for practical application of DM policy.
prioritized next according to the respondents. 12 respondents said that preventive health
care should be focused upon. As for preparedness, warning systems undoubtedly ranked
Rescue operations, emergency health care and repairing vital services were deemed as
priorities for the response phase. Meanwhile, debris recovery and clean-up were viewed
infrastructures and health care. 11 or 70.1% of the respondents said that preparedness
should be the focus of local disaster management during typhoons. Response came in as
the second priority of the MDRRM officers. This was followed by mitigation while
recovery was the least prioritized phase.
Death and injury cases ranked first with eight MDRRM officers accounting it
with the highest importance. Food relief operations came in second followed by Health
prioritized most by MDRRM officers. Recovery was the least prioritized. Good
evacuation plans, effective warning systems , rescue operations, debris recovery and
clean-up are the deemed as the the top practices that should be focused upon in
Question no. 5. What is the implication of agenda setting of online news coverage of
typhoons?
Summary: Preparedness was set as the highest agenda of both ABS-CBN news
Cumulatively, preparedness ranked first in both ranking of online news sites and
correlation with 0.8 value. This suggests that there is a very strong relationship between
the agenda-setting of Inquirer.net news and the agenda set by MDRRM officers on
disaster management. News.abs-cbn and Rappler had similar correlations and suggests
that there is a moderate relationship between agenda-setting of the two news sites and
Preventive health care ranked first in the agenda set by the online news sites whereas
MDRRM officers placed it third in their ranking. Both warning systems placed first under
the preparedness phase. Rescue was ranked first by both online news sites and MDRRM
officers for the response phase while debris clean-up also got the top rank for recovery
phase.
The table shows that that there is a negative relationship between agenda set
by officers and the online news sites. The data shows that there is very strong relationship
between the two for preparedness phase and a strong relationship for response and
recovery phase.
The table shows the ranking of disaster-related issues as set by online news sites
and MDRRM officers. Death and injury cases was ranked first among the issues that
were prioritized by online news sites in disaster reporting followed by food relief
operations which was also ranked second place by both sides. Health care was ranked
third by MDRRM officers and last by online news sites. Shelter and infrastructures was
ranked third by online news sites whereas it ranked fourth on the based on the MDRRM
This shows that there is a very strong positive relationship between the ranking of
disaster-related issues of MDRRM officers and the salience of he issue set by online
news sites.