Multiple Deaths: Of Legacy Media Sustainability? Of Truth’s Value? Of ‘Readership’?

By Rowena Paraan

I always stress during training workshops that journalists are always needed, especially during times of darkness — we need truth to light the way. Pero ngayon, nasa gitna tayo ng isang napakahabang brownout.

It seems that what we are witnessing are multiple deaths. The slow, painful demise of legacy media, as traditional revenue models collapse under the weight of digital disruption and algorithmic gatekeeping. The fading value of truth, drowned in a sea of disinformation where virality trumps verification. And the changing nature of readership—if it even exists anymore in the form we once knew.

Let’s start with the first death: media sustainability.

The old business model is broken. Ad revenues have shifted to tech giants that produce no journalism. Paywalls work only for the privileged few (certainly not here in the Philippines). Public trust in media is declining, yet the need for quality reporting has never been higher. Journalism is needed, but fewer are willing—or able—to pay for it.

Countless seminars and projects tackle media sustainability, yet no one has found the definitive answer to halt legacy media’s downward trajectory.

Then, there’s the second death: the death of truth’s value.

Propaganda, conspiracy theories, and disinformation are reshaping the information landscape. Audiences, fatigued and skeptical, often choose what feels true over what is true. If truth has no economic or political utility, what happens to journalism’s core mission? What we now see is fragmented public discourse, where consensus becomes impossible and facts are reduced to mere opinions. If journalism no longer holds the power to shape reality, what purpose does it now serve?

In the Philippines, we have seen how disinformation is weaponized. The red-tagging of journalists, the attacks on press freedom, and the growing influence of propaganda networks illustrate how truth itself has become a battleground. If journalists are no longer seen as defenders of facts but as enemies of the powerful, how can we fulfill our duty to inform?

Third, there is the death of readership.

Do we even have readers in the traditional sense? People consume snippets, scroll past headlines, engage in rage-fueled comment sections, but do they read? And if reading is a dying habit, can journalism survive by chasing fleeting engagement over deep understanding?

Social media dominates now as the primary news source, and the battle for attention is even more intense. Sensationalist and misleading clickbait outperform well-researched investigative pieces. Algorithm-driven feeds prioritize controversy over context, making it harder for fact-based reporting to gain traction. Meanwhile, disinformation networks thrive, fueled by political machinery and troll farms designed to manipulate public perception (especially during election seasons). Mainstream news outlets, struggling for survival, have long played into these trends—choosing sensationalist headlines or engaging in digital-first strategies that prioritize clicks over depth. The result? A digital public sphere where reading comprehension is replaced by instant reaction, and where the depth of an issue is lost in the noise of viral outrage. Can journalism find ways to reclaim meaningful engagement in an environment designed to erode journalism?

So, where does this leave us? Are these deaths irreversible? Or are we merely shedding an outdated skin, forced to evolve into something new? What might that new form be?

Are we ready to answer these questions? Or are we just documenting the funeral of an industry, of a profession, of an era?

Sa Pilipinas, may tradisyon ng mataas na pagpapahalaga sa mga patay at sa kamatayan. Sabi nga nila, hindi mo nalilimutan ang mga taong pumunta sa burol at nakiramay sa iyong pagluluksa. If Media Nation 20 is a wake for this industry, then we journalists here will not forget. Hindi po namin kayo malilimutan, hanggang sa kabilang buhay.

A provocation delivered by the author during #MediaNation20 in Quezon City on January 30-31, 2025—intended to ignite discussion on a controversial topic.

Rowena Paraan has been a journalist for over 30 years and currently serves as the Training Director of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ). She designs and conducts investigative journalism workshops, integrating trauma-informed reporting into her training programs.

Previously, she worked as a consultant for UNESCO Jakarta’s Communication and Information Sector and led ABS-CBN News’s public service department and its pioneering citizen journalism initiative, Bayan Mo, Ipatrol Mo, for nine years.

In 2013, she was elected chairperson of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), an organization dedicated to press freedom and journalists’ welfare. She served on the NUJP Board of Directors for over 10 years.